Byron Castillo

Byron Castillo 's biggest fight in football had nothing to do with a match. FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport reviewed the case and upheld his Ecuadorian nationality, though they fined the country's football federation. Despite the clearance, he was left out of Ecuador's World Cup squad that year.

Castillo came through the youth ranks at Norte América before senior loan spells at Deportivo Azogues and Emelec, the latter cut short by documentation problems. A loan at Aucas in 2016 went better, and Barcelona SC signed him permanently the following January. He became a regular at the club, making over a hundred appearances and winning the Ecuadorian Serie A title in 2020. His form there earned him a place in the South American Team of the Year and the Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament in 2021, the same year he made his senior debut for Ecuador against Chile.

In 2022 he left for Club León in Mexico, where he lifted the CONCACAF Champions League the following year, with loan spells at Pachuca and Peñarol along the way. He returned to Barcelona SC on loan in July 2024. Internationally, he has earned caps for Ecuador at senior and youth level, including the Under-17 World Cup, without adding a goal to his tally.