Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna (born 24 October 1989), commonly known as Cristian Gamboa, is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Bundesliga club VfL Bochum.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna | ||
Date of birth | 24 October 1989 | ||
Place of birth | Liberia, Costa Rica | ||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Right-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | VfL Bochum | ||
Number | 2 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2006–2010 | Municipal Liberia | 68 | (0) |
2010–2011 | Fredrikstad | 27 | (1) |
2011–2012 | Copenhagen | 0 | (0) |
2012 | → Rosenborg (loan) | 10 | (0) |
2013–2014 | Rosenborg | 30 | (0) |
2014–2016 | West Bromwich Albion | 11 | (0) |
2016–2019 | Celtic | 20 | (0) |
2019– | VfL Bochum | 123 | (3) |
International career‡ | |||
2010–2020 | Costa Rica | 78 | (3) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 November 2020 |
Gamboa is an international player for Costa Rica and played in the team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup that reached the quarter-finals.
Club career
editGamboa was born in Liberia, Costa Rica. At age 15, he was deemed not good enough to play for Costa Rican clubs Saprissa and Alajuelense.[2] He played from the 2006–2007 season for hometown club Municipal Liberia. He then moved abroad and joined Norwegian side Fredrikstad in summer 2010[3] and played there for two half seasons, before he joined Copenhagen in summer 2011.[4] He made his debut in a 0–1 loss against Standard Liège in the UEFA Europa League.
Gamboa joined Rosenborg on a three-month-loan deal in August 2012 with the Norwegian club having an option to buy.[5] He made his debut on 3 September 2012 in a Tippeligaen match away at Stabæk, winning 2–0.[6] By November he had impressed sufficiently in the ten games he played in for Rosenborg for them to offer him a permanent deal, and he signed five-year contract with the club.[7][8]
In late July 2014, English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion agreed to sign Gamboa for a fee estimated in the media as around £2 million. Because the player had insufficient recent international appearances for a work permit to be granted automatically, completion of the deal was dependent on a successful appeal to the Football Association, which was confirmed on 5 August. The player signed a three-year contract.[9][10][11]
He made his debut on 26 August 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute in a League cup tie against Oxford United.[12] He made his League debut a few days later against Swansea City, after which further substitute appearances followed.[12] Gamboa finally made a starting appearance on 4 October in a 2–1 loss away at Liverpool in the league. Despite the defeat, he was reported as having turned in an impressive performance.[13][14][15][16] It was however to be Gamboa's only league start that season,[12] and he fell further out of favour when manager Alan Irvine was sacked in December[17] and replaced by Tony Pulis.[18] From January 2015 onwards to the end of the season, Gamboa only played one minute of first team football, coming on as an injury-time substitute in a fifth round FA Cup tie against West Ham in February 2015.[12][18]
Gamboa continued to struggle to hold down a first team place in his second season in England, playing only two games early on in the season. He then went five months without a first team appearance, before making a return to the side in February 2016 in an FA Cup fourth round replay tie against Peterborough United.[19]
On 30 August 2016, Gamboa signed for Scottish Premiership club Celtic on a three-year deal.[20]
On 27 August 2019, Gamboa joined VfL Bochum on a two-year deal.[21] In the 2022 season, he scored once in a 4-2 win against FC Bayern Munich.
International career
editHe participated in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup for Costa Rica[22] where they finished in fourth place. He has represented Costa Rica in other international games.[23][24][25]
He made his debut for the Costa Rica national football team in January 2010, in a friendly match against Argentina. Gamboa scored his first goal in a 7–0 home win against Guyana in a 2014 World Cup qualifier. He was selected for the Costa Rica national team against part at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and played in all five games, reaching the quarter-final where they were eventually knocked out on penalty kicks by the Netherlands.[26]
In May 2018 he was selected in Costa Rica's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[27]
Personal life
editGamboa is married to Melissa Salazar and they have 3 children, Felipe, Julián and Bruna.[28]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 9 November 2024[12]
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Municipal Liberia | 2006-07 | Primera División | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 16 | 0 | |||
2007-08 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 0 | |||||
2008-09 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 0 | |||||
2009-10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 0 | |||||
Total | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 0 | ||
Fredrikstad | 2010 | Adeccoligaen | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
2011 | Tippeligaen | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 17 | 0 | |||
Total | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
Copenhagen | 2011–12 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
2012–13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
Rosenborg | 2012 | Tippeligaen | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | ||
2013 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | – | 34 | 0 | ||||
2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
Total | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 0 | ||
West Bromwich Albion | 2014–15 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||||
Total | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
Celtic | 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 21 | 0 | |
2017–18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |||
2018–19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | |||
Total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
VfL Bochum | 2019–20 | 2. Bundesliga | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | |
2020–21 | 2. Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 32 | 0 | ||||
2021–22 | Bundesliga | 23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 27 | 1 | ||||
2022–23 | Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 21 | 0 | ||||
2023–24 | Bundesliga | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |||
2024–25 | Bundesliga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |||
Total | 123 | 3 | 10 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 133 | 3 | ||||
Career Total | 289 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 333 | 4 |
International
edit- As of 13 November 2020[29]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Costa Rica | 2010 | 4 | 0 |
2011 | 4 | 0 | |
2012 | 3 | 1 | |
2013 | 11 | 0 | |
2014 | 10 | 0 | |
2015 | 12 | 1 | |
2016 | 7 | 1 | |
2017 | 11 | 0 | |
2018 | 11 | 0 | |
2019 | 4 | 0 | |
2020 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 78 | 3 |
- Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gamboa goal.
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 October 2012 | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José | Guyana | 2–0 | 7–0 | 2014 World Cup qualifier |
2 | 13 November 2015 | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José | Haiti | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 World Cup qualifier |
3 | 28 May 2016 | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José | Venezuela | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Honours
editMunicipal Liberia
- Costa Rican Primera División: Clausura 2009[29]
Copenhagen
Celtic
- Scottish Premiership: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Scottish League Cup: 2016–17,[31] 2018–19
- Scottish Cup: 2016–17
VfL Bochum
Costa Rica
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: Bronze-medal 2017
- Copa Centroamericana: Runner-up 2011[32]
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: Fourth-place 2009
- CONCACAF U-20 Championship: 2009
Individual
References
edit- ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 24 June 2018. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Cristian Gamboa fue descartado por la Liga y Saprissa Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine - Al Día (in Spanish)
- ^ Cristian Gamboa se va a préstamo al Fredrikstad Archived 20 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Nación (in Spanish)
- ^ Cristian Gamboa jugará en el FC Copenhague danés - Nación (in Spanish)
- ^ Sagbakken, Ole Kristian (23 August 2012). "Gamboa klar for Rosenborg". Aften Posten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Christian Gamboa". Altom Fotball. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Vikan, Tore (3 November 2012). "Gamboa blir i fem år". Trønderavisa (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ Stenseth, Jørgen (8 November 2012). "Gamboa med 5-årskontrakt". RBK. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "West Brom face snag on Cristian Gamboa". Express & Star. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "West Brom: Jason Davidson and Cristian Gamboa join Baggies". BBC Sport. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ "Premier League Player Profile Cristian Gamboa". Premier League. Barclays Premier League. 2015. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "C. Gamboa". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion, Premier League: as it happened". The Telegraph. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Dick, Brian (4 October 2014). "Liverpool 2 West Bromwich Albion 1 - Brian Dick's on-the-whistle report with stats and pictures". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Cristian Gamboa warning for Andre Wisdom". Express & Star. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Dick Brian (7 October 2014). "West Bromwich Albion defender reveals his dream to play against Manchester United". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "Alan Irvine: West Brom sack manager after Stoke defeat". BBC Sport. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ a b Jones, Dean (14 March 2015). "West Brom's Cristian Gamboa reckons he is TOO SHORT to be picked by new boss Tony Pulis". The Mirror. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Suart, Paul (18 February 2016). "West Brom: Tony Pulis cheers me up, says Cristian Gamboa". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ McClymont, Scott (30 August 2016). "Celtic complete deal for Costa Rica international Cristian Gamboa". STV Sport. Archived from the original on 2 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "VfL verpflichtet Cristian Gamboa" (in German). VfL Bochum. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ "Slovakia beats Costa Rica 3–0 in World Cup warmup". Kitsap Sun. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ "Valbuena nets winner as France beat Costa Rica". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ "France v Costa Rica – 26th May 2010". Sky Sports. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014.
- ^ Arnold, Jon (14 May 2018). "Keylor Navas & six MLS players named in Costa Rica's 23-man World Cup squad". Goal. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Esperan a Felipe". Archived from the original on 5 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Cristian Gamboa". National Football Teams. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Horsens vs. København - 17 May 2012". Uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ English, Tom (27 November 2016). "Aberdeen 0–3 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Copa Centroamericana 2011 (UNCAF Nations Cup)". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "2017 CONCACAF Award Winners Announced". CONCACAF. 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
External links
edit- Cristian Gamboa at National-Football-Teams.com
- 2014 World Cup profile - FIFA
- F.C. Copenhagen statistics
- Profile at Football-Lineups.com