Maxloren Castro

{{Infobox football biography

| embed =

| name = Maxloren Castro

| image =

| upright =

| alt =

| caption =

| full_name = Maxloren Sannoe Castro Rufino

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2007|12|08|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Callao, Peru

| height = 1.68 m

| position = Winger

| currentclub = Sporting Cristal

| clubnumber = 23

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Tiwinza Los Potrillos

| youthyears2 = 2018–2023

| youthclubs2 = Sporting Cristal

| years1 = 2024–

| clubs1 = Sporting Cristal

| caps1 = 23

| goals1 = 2

| nationalyears1 = 2024–

| nationalteam1 = Peru U20

| nationalcaps1 = 6

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| medaltemplates =

| club-update = 22:30, 1 March 2025 (UTC)

| nationalteam-update = 13:43, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

}}

Maxloren Sannoe Castro Rufino (born 8 December 2007) is a Peruvian footballer who plays as a winger for Peruvian Primera División club Sporting Cristal and the Peru national under-20 football team.

Early life

Born on 8 December 2007 in Callao, Castro grew up in the neighbourhood of A.H. Acapulco. He started playing football at the local club academy FC Tiwinza Los Potrillos at the age of four, before moving to Sporting Cristal when he was 10. Initially a full-back, he was converted into a winger due to his attacking ability.{{cite news |last1=Mori |first1=Enzo |date=7 September 2023 |title=La intrahistoria de Maxloren Castro: sus inicios como lateral y los secretos de su desarrollo acelerado en adolescencia |trans-title=The inside story of Maxloren Castro: his beginnings as a full-back and the secrets of his accelerated development as a teenager |url=https://depor.com/futbol-peruano/seleccion-peruana/maxloren-castro-intrahistoria-inicios-como-lateral-y-los-secretos-de-su-desarrollo-acelerado-en-adolescencia-noticia/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |work=Depor |language=es}}

Castro was a new player on the under-13 team in 2020 when football was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and made the move to under-15 football when it resumed in 2022. The following year, he was invited into the under-17 and under-18 teams, consolidating his place in the latter by the end of the year and being named in the first team by manager Enderson Moreira.

Club career

Castro signed his first professional contract in January 2024, shortly after turning 16,{{cite news |last1=Bazán Chocos |first1=Raúl |title=¿Quién es Maxloren Castro, el futbolista de 16 años que fue convocado a la selección peruana para jugar las Eliminatorias 2026?|trans-title=Who is Maxloren Castro, the 16-year-old footballer who was chosen for the Peru national team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers?|url=https://www.infobae.com/peru/deportes/2024/09/05/quien-es-maxloren-castro-el-futbolista-de-16-anos-que-fue-convocado-a-la-seleccion-peruana-para-jugar-las-eliminatorias-2026/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |publisher=Infobae |date=4 September 2024 |language=es}} tying him to the club until the end of 2026.{{cite news |last1=Salinas |first1=Miguel |title=¿Quién es Maxloren Castro, la joya de Sporting Cristal de 16 años que brilla en la Liga 1?|trans-title=Who is Maxloren Castro, the 16-year-old jewel of Sporting Cristal who shines in Liga 1?|url=https://larepublica.pe/deportes/2024/08/25/sporting-cristal-quien-es-maxloren-castro-la-joya-de-16-anos-que-brilla-en-la-liga-1-2367825 |access-date=26 September 2024 |work=La República |date=25 August 2024 |language=es}} He made his debut in the Peruvian Primera División on 15 February in a 4–1 home win over newly promoted Los Chankas.{{cite news |title=Maxloren Castro de 16 años: "Muy feliz por mi debut, muy emocionado"|trans-title= 16-year-old Maxloren Castro: "Very happy because of my debut, very excited"|url=https://elcomercio.pe/deporte-total/futbol-peruano/sporting-cristal-maxloren-castro-de-16-anos-muy-feliz-por-mi-debut-muy-emocionado-liga-1-te-apuesto-ultimas-noticia/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |work=El Comercio |date=16 February 2024 |language=es}}

In the next game on 24 February 2024 away to Carlos A. Mannucci, Castro scored his first goal to open a 4–0 win; Santiago González sent in a cross and Castro fell to the floor under the challenge of opponent Emilio Saba, deflecting the ball into the goal off his back, and was unable to stand up to celebrate with his teammates.{{cite news |last1=Mauricio |first1=Alberto |title=Extraño gol de espalda de Maxloren Castro de 16 años para Sporting Cristal vs Carlos Mannucci por Liga 1 2024 |trans-title=Strange goal off his back for 16-year-old Maxloren Castro for Sporting Cristal vs Carlos Mannucci in the 2024 Liga 1|url=https://www.infobae.com/peru/2024/02/25/gol-maxloren-castro-16-anos-sporting-cristal-vs-carlos-mannucci-liga-1-2024-video-hoy/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |publisher=Infobae |date=24 February 2024 |language=es}} He was the first 16-year-old to score for Sporting Cristal in the 21st century, and the youngest in the entire league since Luis Antonio Escobar for Alianza Lima in 1984.{{cite news |title=Maxloren Castro marcó un récord con su gol en Sporting Cristal|trans-title=Maxloren Castro set a record with his goal for Sporting Cristal |url=https://www.espn.com.pe/futbol/peru/nota/_/id/13284904/maxloren-castro-marco-un-record-con-su-gol-en-sporting-cristal |access-date=26 September 2024 |publisher=ESPN |date=25 February 2024 |language=es}} Three days later he played his first Copa Libertadores game in a 3–1 win at home to Always Ready of Bolivia, with his team being eliminated after losing the first leg 6–1. On 15 October 2024, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2007 worldwide.{{Cite news |last=Christenson |first=Marcus |last2=Bloor |first2=Steven |last3=Blight |first3=Garry |date=2024-10-15 |title=Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2024/oct/15/next-generation-2024-60-of-the-best-young-talents-in-world-football |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

International career

Castro was called up for the Peru national under-20 football team in June 2024 for two friendly matches against Colombia.{{cite news |title='Chemo' Del Solar anuncia convocados a la sub-20 con futbolistas que juegan en España y Alemania|trans-title='Chemo' Del Solar announces call-ups to the under-20 team with footballers who play in Spain and Germany |url=https://larepublica.pe/deportes/2024/06/17/seleccion-peruana-chemo-del-solar-anuncia-convocados-a-la-sub20-con-futbolistas-que-juegan-en-espana-alemania-argentina-y-brasil-1028636 |access-date=26 September 2024 |work=La República |date=17 June 2024 |language=es}}

In September 2024, still aged 16, Castro was called up for the senior national team for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against neighbours Colombia and Ecuador. Manager Jorge Fossati chose him after Franco Zanelatto withdrew with ear problems.{{cite news |last1=Florez |first1=Enzo |title=Selección peruana convocó de urgencia a jugador de Cristal tras desafectar a Zanelatto para las Eliminatorias|trans-title=Peru national team chose Sporting Cristal player in emergency after removing Zanelatto for the qualifiers |url=https://larepublica.pe/deportes/2024/09/04/maxloren-castro-fue-convocado-a-la-seleccion-peruana-para-los-partidos-ante-colombia-y-ecuador-por-eliminatorias-88044 |access-date=26 September 2024 |work=La República|date=5 September 2024 |language=es}}

Career statistics

= Club =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|Cup ! colspan="2" \|Continental ! colspan="2" \|Other ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
rowspan="3" \|Sporting Cristal \|2024 \|Peruvian Primera División \|21 \|2 \|0 \|0 \|1{{efn\|Appearance in Copa Libertadores\|name=COL}} \|0 \|0 \|0 \|22 \|2
2025 \|Peruvian Primera División \|2 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|2 \|0
colspan="2" \|Total !23 !2 !0 !0 !0 !0 !0 !0 !24 !2
colspan="3" \|Career total !23 !2 !0 !0 !0 !0 !0 !0 !24 !2

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |Cup

! colspan="2" |Continental

! colspan="2" |Other

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps