Christian Santos
Venezuelan footballer (born 1988)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christian Robert Santos Kwasniewski (born 24 March 1988) is a Venezuelan professional footballer who plays as a forward who plays for Trujillanos.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Robert Santos Kwasniewski | ||
| Date of birth | 24 March 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Trujillanos | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SV Lippstadt | |||
| 2003–2007 | Arminia Bielefeld | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2011 | Arminia Bielefeld II | 78 | (28) |
| 2011–2013 | Eupen | 58 | (25) |
| 2013–2014 | Waasland-Beveren | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | NEC | 71 | (43) |
| 2016–2018 | Alavés | 31 | (5) |
| 2018–2020 | Deportivo La Coruña | 48 | (9) |
| 2020–2021 | VfL Osnabrück | 29 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | Colo-Colo | 13 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Juve Stabia | 14 | (2) |
| 2023 | Unionistas | 14 | (4) |
| 2023 | Universidad Central | 8 | (0) |
| 2024 | Arenteiro | 13 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | Rayo Majadahonda | 13 | (0) |
| 2025 | Anzoátegui | 19 | (2) |
| 2026- | Trujillanos | 5 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015– | Venezuela | 13 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:26, 12 September 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 02:44, 14 September 2018 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Early career
Born in Ciudad Guayana, Bolívar, Santos moved to Germany at the age of six as his father received a new job in the country.[2] After starting his career at SV Lippstadt he moved to Arminia Bielefeld in 2003, and made his senior debut for the latter's reserve team on 6 May 2007, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–0 Oberliga Westfalen home win against Sportfreunde Lotte.
Santos scored his first senior goal on 1 April 2009, netting his team's second in a 3–1 away win against Delbrücker SC. After failed to make a single appearance with the first team, he left the club in 2011.
Belgium
On 9 August 2011, Santos signed for KAS Eupen in the Belgian Second Division. He scored a 15 goals during his first season, and added a further ten in his second.
In April 2013, Santos moved to Belgian Pro League club Waasland-Beveren,[3] but failed to appear in a single match due to a severe knee injury.
NEC
In July 2014, Santos signed a one-year contract with Dutch Eerste Divisie side NEC Nijmegen, after impressing on a trial basis.[4][5] He made his professional debut on 10 August, starting in a 3–1 home win against FC Eindhoven.
Santos scored his first professional goal on 15 August 2014, netting the last in a 2–0 win at FC Volendam.[6] He finished the campaign with 23 goals in only 34 appearances, as his side achieved promotion to Eredivisie as champions; highlights included braces against FC Den Bosch, MVV Maastricht and FC Oss.
Santos made his debut in the main category of Dutch football on 12 August 2015, starting in a 1–0 home win against SBV Excelsior.[7] He scored his first goals in the division on 18 September, netting all his team's goals in a 2–0 success over SC Heerenveen.[8]
Santos added another doubles against ADO Den Haag (4–1 home win)[9] and De Graafschap (2–0 home win),[10] totalling 16 goals in 30 matches.
Alavés
On 12 July 2016, free agent Santos signed a three-year deal with Deportivo Alavés, newly promoted to La Liga.[11] He made his debut in the league on 21 August, replacing Gaizka Toquero in a 1–1 away draw against Atlético Madrid.[12]
Deportivo La Coruña
On 28 June 2018, Santos signed a two-year deal with Deportivo de La Coruña, after cutting ties with Alavés.[13] He scored his first goal in an away match against Gimnàstic de Tarragona on 1 October 2018, one minute after entering as a substitute in 85th minute. On 27 January 2019, he scored a decisive goal in 2–1 away victory against Sporting de Gijón. On 18 August 2019, he scored a decisive goal in 88th minute after coming from the bench three minutes earlier in a 3–2 victory against Real Oviedo.
VfL Osnabrück
In September 2020, Santos returned to Germany joining 2. Bundesliga club VfL Osnabrück on a two-year contract.[14]
Colo-Colo
In September 2021, Santos joined Colo-Colo in the Chilean Primera División. In June 2022, he ended his contract after making thirteen appearances and scoring a goal.[15]
Juve Stabia
On 12 October 2022, Santos signed with Juve Stabia in the Italian third-tier Serie C until the end of the 2022–23 season.[16]
Unionistas
On 1 February 2023, Santos joined Unionistas in the Spanish third-tier Primera Federación.[17]
Rayo Majadahonda
On 12 September 2024, Santos joined Rayo Majadahonda on a one-year deal.[18]
International career
After being allowed to play for Venezuela in January 2015,[2] Santos made his full international debut on 27 March of that year, starting and being booked in a 2–1 friendly loss against Jamaica.[19] He scored his first international goal on 13 October, but in a 3–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers loss against Brazil.[20]
Santos was also included in Rafael Dudamel's 23-man list ahead of the Copa America Centenario.[21] His first and only appearance of the tournament occurred on 13 June 2016, in a 1–1 draw against Mexico.[22]
International goals
- Scores and results list Venezuela's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Santos goal.[23]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2015 | Castelão, Fortaleza, Brazil |  Brazil | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers |
Honours
NEC