Romeo Castelen

Romeo Castelen
File:Romeo Castelen 2007.jpg Castelen in 2007
Born	(1983-05-03) May 3, 1983 Paramaribo, Suriname
Occupation	Footballer (retired)
Years active	2000–2018
Known for	Dutch international footballer, winger

Romeo Erwan Marius Castelen (born 3 May 1983) is a retired Dutch footballer who operated primarily as a right winger.

ADO Den Haag

Hailing from Paramaribo, Suriname, Castelen began his professional journey at ADO Den Haag, where he spent two complete seasons competing in the second tier. He debuted for the senior squad before turning 18 and played a key role by scoring nine goals in 24 appearances during the 2002–03 season, helping the team secure the championship and promotion to the Eredivisie.

His first appearance in the top flight occurred on 16 August 2003, when ADO Den Haag suffered a 0–1 defeat away to RKC Waalwijk. Throughout the season, he was a regular starter, missing only six matches as his club finished just above the relegation zone in 15th place.

Feyenoord

File:Romeo Castelen 001.jpg

Castelen in 2007.

Castelen transferred to Feyenoord ahead of the 2004–05 season, making his first official appearance on 15 August and scoring twice in a dominant 6–1 victory at home over De Graafschap. Over his initial two seasons with the Rotterdam club, he tallied 19 goals, contributing to the team’s fourth-place finish followed by a third-place standing.

Alongside teammates Salomon Kalou and Dirk Kuyt, Castelen formed part of a potent Feyenoord offensive line. However, injuries limited him to just 23 appearances during his second campaign.

In the 2006–07 season, persistent ankle issues restricted him to only 12 league matches as Feyenoord ended the season seventh. His sole goal that year came on 22 April 2007 in a 1–1 draw at home against NEC Nijmegen.

Hamburger SV

Before the start of the 2007–08 season, Castelen was declared fit, although his contract was set to expire at the end of that term. Despite being offered an extension, he initially declined due to concerns about the club’s recent performance. The arrival of players such as Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Kevin Hofland, and Roy Makaay led him to reconsider, but ultimately he opted to sign a four-year agreement with German side Hamburger SV in late July 2007; prior to this move, he had made 79 official appearances for Feyenoord, scoring 21 goals.

Castelen debuted in the Bundesliga on 11 August 2007, coming on for seven minutes during a 1–0 away victory over Hannover 96. Unfortunately, his tenure at the Volksparkstadion was marred by recurring injuries, which hampered his ability to contribute consistently. His contract was not renewed, leading to his release in June 2012.

Later years

Following almost a year away from professional football, Castelen joined Russian Premier League outfit FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod on 15 February 2013. He was released after the conclusion of the season.

On 3 July 2013, Castelen returned to the Dutch top flight by signing with RKC. Approximately one year later, he secured a two-year deal with Australian A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers FC. He featured in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, scoring the opening goal in the fifth-place playoff against ES Sétif, which ended in a penalty shootout defeat following a 2–2 draw.

During the 2015–16 season, Castelen scored seven goals overall, including three crucial strikes in the semi-final extra time victory (5–4) over Brisbane Roar FC. His contract was terminated on 5 May 2016.

On 14 July 2016, he signed with K-League Classic side Suwon Samsung Bluewings. In January 2018, at age 34, Castelen returned once more to the Netherlands by joining VVV-Venlo, debuting against his former club Den Haag. He retired from professional football later that year and has since transitioned into player representation, managing clients such as Evert Linthorst and Simon Janssen.

International career

Castelen's promising start at Feyenoord caught the attention of the newly appointed Dutch national team coach, Marco van Basten, leading to his debut for Oranje on 18 August 2004. He was in the starting lineup during a 2–2 friendly match against Sweden. Despite his early promise, his physical fitness issues prevented him from being selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad.

In the same year, 2006, Castelen contributed to the Netherlands under-21 squad's triumph at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship held in Portugal.

Personal life

Tragically, in 1989, Castelen lost both his mother and sister in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764 disaster, an accident that claimed the lives of 15 Surinamese footballers.

International goals

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Season	Club	League	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals	Appearances	Goals
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		Europe		Other		Total
2000–01	Den Haag	Eerste Divisie	3	0	0	0	–		–		3	0
2001–02			28	7	4	1	–		0	0	32	8
2002–03			24	9	3	2	–		–		27	11
2003–04		Eredivisie	28	4	1	0	–		–		29	4
2004–05	Feyenoord		30	10	3	0	7	0	–		40	10
2005–06			23	9	0	0	2	0	1	0	35	9
2006–07			12	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	14	2
Germany			League		DFB Pokal		Europe		Other		Total
2007–08	Hamburger SV	Bundesliga	13	0	0	0	4	1	–		17	1
2008–09			0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
2009–10			(two)	1	(zero)	(zero)	(one)	(zero)	–		(three)	(one)
2010–11			(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	–		(zero)	(zero)
2011–12			(two)	(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	(zero)	–		(two)	(zero)
Russia			League		Russian Cup		Europe		Other		Total
2012–13	Volga	Russian Premier League	2	0	0	0	–		–		2	0
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		Europe		Other		Total
2013–14	RKC	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Australia			League		N/A		Asia		Other		Total
2014-15	Western Sydney Wanderers	A-League					–		–
2015-16							–		–
South Korea			League		Korean FA Cup		Asia		Other		Total
2016	Samsung Bluewings	K-League Classic							–
China			League		Chinese FA Cup		Asia		Other		Total
2017	Zhejiang Yiteng	China League One	23	3	0	0	–		–		23	3
rowSpan = “6” ! colSpan = “ ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏” !Totals	colSpan = “ ” Netherlands	148	40	11	3	9	0	3	1	171	44
colSpan = “ ” Germany	17	1	0	0	5	1	colspan = “ ” –	22	­­ ­  ­ ­­
colSpan = “ ” Russia	­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––­–––	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Romeo Castelen: Goals Scored Internationally

#	Date	Location	Opponent	Scoreline	Final Result	Tournament
1.	30 March 2005	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Template:Fb	Template:Center	Template:Center	2006 World Cup qualifiers

International

Netherlands
Year	Appearances	Goals
2004	4	0
2005	4	1
2007	2	0
Total	10	1

Club

Den Haag

• Eerste Divisie: 2002–03 season

International

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2006 edition

External links

• Template:WorldFootball.net
• Beijen profile (in Dutch)
• Template:Fussballdaten
• Template:Wereld van Oranje
• Template:NFT player
• Template:K League player