Ramiro Castillo

Ramiro Castillo Salinas (March 27, 1966 – October 18, 1997) was a Bolivian footballer that played as a midfielder. He was capped 52 times and scored 5 international goals for Bolivia between 1989 and 1997.[1] He made one substitute appearance at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Castillo and the second or maternal family name is Salinas.
Ramiro Castillo
Personal information
Full name Ramiro Castillo Salinas
Date of birth (1966-03-27)March 27, 1966
Place of birth Coripata, Bolivia
Date of death October 18, 1997(1997-10-18) (aged 31)
Place of death La Paz, Bolivia
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1986 The Strongest 108 total (17)
1987–1988 Instituto 27 (4)
1988–1990 Argentinos Juniors 69 (8)
1990–1991 River Plate 10 (10)
1991–1992 Rosario Central 16 (3)
1993–1994 Platense 23 (1)
1995–1996 The Strongest (see above) (5)
1997 Everton ? (7)
1997 Bolívar 30 (8)
National team
1989–1997 Bolivia 52 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 2008

Club career

Nicknamed "Chocolatín" by the colour of his skin, Castillo was born in Coripata, a small town in the sub-tropical Yungas region. His first professional team was The Strongest, the club with which he always identified. From there he went to play successfully in Argentine football, defending the colors of Instituto de Córdoba, Argentinos Juniors, River Plate, Rosario Central and Platense. He set a record for the most appearances in the Argentine league by a Bolivian player with 145 games, also scoring 10 goals in Argentina too.[2]

Later in his career he returned to Bolivia where he played for The Strongest and Club Bolívar.

International career

Castillo represented his country in 13 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[3] and he played at the 1997 Copa América, where he scored a goal in the semi-final against Mexico national football team. Bolivia were runners-up after losing 1–3 in the final against Brazil. Castillo missed the final game due to the sudden death of his 7-year-old son José Manuel to fulminating hepatitis. His son died two days later.

Death

Castillo never recovered from his son's death and committed suicide by hanging himself in his home in La Paz in October 1997.[4] He was only 31 years old and was survived by his wife María del Carmen Crespo and their children.[5]

The Bolivian football association announced a month of mourning after his death, and the derby game between his former clubs The Strongest and Bolívar was postponed. In Argentina there was a minutes silence at the game between his former club Platense and Gimnasia de Jujuy where the players wore black armbands.

References
  1. rsssf: Bolivia record international footballers
  2. Máximo, Negro (3 June 2019). "Ramiro Castillo, un sueño que terminó en pesadilla". El Equipo Deportea (in Spanish).
  3. Ramiro Castillo – FIFA competition record
  4. "Se suicidó ayer Ramiro Castillo" (in Spanish). La Nacion. 19 October 1997.
  5. "El día que el 'Chocolatín' se llevó la pelota a la eternidad". La Razon. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
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