Mario Bermejo

Mario Bermejo

File:Bermejo.jpg Bermejo in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Mario Bermejo Castanedo
Date of birth	(1978-10-07) 7 October 1978
Place of birth	Santander, Spain
Height
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Perines
	Racing Santander
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1997	Racing B
1995	Racing Santander	1	(0)
1997–2000	Bilbao Athletic	61	(16)
1998–2002	Athletic Bilbao	1	(0)
1998–1999	→ Cultural Leonesa (loan)	28	(3)
2000	→ Eibar (loan)	15	(1)
2000–2001	→ Gimnástica (loan)	31	(7)
2001–2002	→ Hospitalet (loan)	33	(8)
2002–2003	Recreativo	39	(0)
2004–2005	Racing Ferrol	55	(32)
2005–2006	Albacete	32	(9)
2006–2008	Almería	33	(5)
2007–2008	→ Poli Ejido (loan)	35	(5)
2008–2011	Xerez	101	(32)
2011–2014	Celta	81	(13)
Total		546	(131)
International career
1995	Spain U16	7	(2)
1996	Spain U18	3	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Bermejo and the second or maternal family name is Castanedo.

Mario Bermejo Castanedo (born 7 October 1978) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

A veteran in Segunda División, he amassed league totals of 267 games and 73 goals over the course of nine seasons, in representation of eight different clubs. In La Liga he played for Racing de Santander, Athletic Bilbao, Recreativo, Xerez and Celta, scoring 12 goals with the fourth team and 17 in total.

Football career

Bermejo was born in Santander, Cantabria. In his early years he played one game each in La Liga with Racing de Santander and Athletic de Bilbao, and then went on to represent sides in the lower leagues, on loan. His official debut with the latter came in a 1997–98 UEFA Cup match at U.C. Sampdoria, playing the final 32 minutes in the place of Ismael Urzaiz in an eventual 2–1 win; he was eligible to play for the Basques due to his father's roots.

For the 2002–03 season, definitely released by Athletic, Bermejo returned to the top level, but struggled to find the net the entire campaign for Recreativo de Huelva, which would befall again in next year's Segunda División. However, in 2004–05, he was instrumental in helping Racing de Ferrol maintain its league status, ending the campaign as the league's topscorer at 25 – this included four past UD Almería in a 6–1 away win, Ferrol's biggest win ever in the second level.

The following seasons were also spent in the second level, with Albacete Balompié and Almería. With the latter, he scored five league goals, helping the Andalusia outfit to its first ever top division promotion.

After a season-long loan spent with Polideportivo Ejido, Bermejo was released and joined another side in the region, Xerez CD. His first year was highly productive both collectively (promotion, also a first-ever) and individually (12 league goals, third-best in the squad, to Momo's 17 and Antoñito's 13), and the player, aged 30, penned a new two-year link at the season's close.

In the 2009–10 campaign Xerez was immediately relegated back, but fought valliantly until the last rounds. Bermejo ranked amongst the league's topscorers at 12, namely netting in the last minute of a 2–1 home win against Almería on 1 May 2010.

Bermejo signed with division two's Celta de Vigo in late June 2011. He contributed with eight goals in 35 games – 30 starts – in his first season as the Galicians returned to the top flight after five years, his third individually. In July 2014 the 35-year-old retired from the game, being immediately appointed director of football at his last club.

Honours

Individual

• Segunda División: Top scorer 2004–05

External links

• Mario Bermejo profile at BDFutbol
• Athletic Bilbao profile
• Mario Bermejo at Soccerway