Giancarlo González

Giancarlo González

González (top) playing for Costa Rica at the 2014 FIFA World Cup against Uruguay
Personal information
Full name	Giancarlo González Castro
Date of birth	(1988-02-08) February 8, 1988 (age 28)
Place of birth	Desamparados, San José, Costa Rica
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current team	Palermo
Number	12
Youth career
2004–2006	Alajuelense
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	Alajuelense	91	(6)
2012–2013	Vålerenga	37	(2)
2014	Columbus Crew	17	(1)
2014–	Palermo	71	(3)
National team‡
2007–2008	Costa Rica U-20	2	(0)
2010–	Costa Rica	54	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:54, 19 January 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2016

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:54, 19 January 2017 (UTC).

Giancarlo "Pipo" González Castro (Spanish pronunciation: [ʝaŋˈkarlo ɣonˈsales]; born 8 February 1988) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays for Palermo as a central defender.

González spent his youth career with Alajuelense except for a stint with Saprissa when he was between 12 and 14 years of age. He began his professional career with Alajuelense in 2007 and was a key player in helping his club win three league titles.

González joined Norwegian club Vålerenga after his contract expired on 31 July 2012. During his time at Vålerenga, González appeared in 37 league matches and scored two goals.

On 21 February 2014, González signed with Columbus Crew. On 15 April 2014, the MLS Disciplinary Committee fined González an undisclosed amount for "embellishment" of an incident in the 92nd minute of the game against the San Jose Earthquakes on 13 April. González was also nominated for the satirical "Fallon d'Floor" award for this effort.

After his performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, González received interest from a number of European clubs, and on 26 August 2014 Palermo of Italy's Serie A confirmed to have signed him on a three-year deal. The transfer fee was reported to be $5m with 5% of the fee being distributed among his youth clubs Alajuelense and Saprissa as per the FIFA solidarity contribution rules. He made his debut on 19 October 2014 in a home game against Cesena, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring the winning goal in the first minute of injury time.