Samu Castillejo · Biography

In May 2022 Samuel Castillejo Azuaga won Serie A 2021-22 with AC Milan. It was the first trophy of a career that had started in Málaga's academy. Born on 18 January 1995 and raised in Málaga, he was a slim, left-footed winger nicknamed «El Fideo», the noodle. He played in La Liga for Málaga, Villarreal and Valencia, spent four seasons at Milan and one on loan at Sassuolo, and finished his career in Malaysia with Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Early years in Málaga

Before joining a professional club he played for Explanada from 2004 to 2006 and for UD Mortadelo in 2006-07. He entered Málaga's academy in 2007 and worked his way up through its youth teams. On 20 July 2011, while still a youth player, he appeared for the first team in a friendly against Al-Rayyan. That same year, aged sixteen, he made his debut for Atlético Malagueño, the reserve side, where he stayed for three seasons. Between 2011 and 2014 he made 75 league appearances for the reserves and scored 22 goals.

La Liga debut with Málaga

Javi Gracia called him up for the 2014 pre-season and promoted him to the senior squad with the number 29 shirt. He made his La Liga debut on 29 August 2014, coming off the bench in a 3-0 defeat away to Valencia. His first professional goal came on 2 February 2015 against the same opponents at home, and it won the match. He finished the 2014-15 season with 34 league appearances and one goal. That summer he left the club that had developed him.

Three seasons at Villarreal

On 18 June 2015 he joined Villarreal on a five-year contract, together with Málaga teammate Samu García. He spent three seasons in La Liga with the club. His most productive was 2017-18: he scored six league goals as the team finished fifth and qualified directly for the Europa League. That summer Milan moved for him, and the deal was completed in August 2018.

AC Milan and the Scudetto

Milan announced his signing on 17 August 2018, in a deal that sent Carlos Bacca the other way to Villarreal. He made his Serie A debut on 31 August 2018 in a 2-1 win over Roma at San Siro. He scored his first goal for the club on 30 September 2018 in a 4-1 away win at Sassuolo and ended his first season with 40 appearances and four goals. On 15 January 2020 he scored in a 3-0 win over SPAL in the Coppa Italia. In 2021 he was left out of Milan's Champions League squad. In 2021-22, under Stefano Pioli, he was part of the squad that won Serie A, the club's first league title since 2011. He left in July 2022 having made 113 official appearances and scored 10 goals for the rossoneri.

Valencia, Sassuolo and Johor

On 12 July 2022 he signed a three-year deal with Valencia, where he was reunited with Gennaro Gattuso, his former coach at Milan. His first Valencia goal came on 4 September 2022 in a 5-1 win over Getafe at Mestalla. He finished the 2022-23 season with 26 appearances and four goals. On 1 September 2023 he joined Sassuolo on loan with an option to buy, which the Italian club did not take up; he made 17 league appearances without scoring. He returned to Valencia in the summer of 2024. Player and club could not agree on a mutual exit, and Valencia terminated his contract at the end of August 2024. On 27 February 2025 he signed for Johor Darul Ta'zim of the Malaysia Super League, his last club.

International career and playing style

He represented Spain at youth level. He won six caps and scored twice for the under-16s in 2011, and played nine times for the under-17s between 2011 and 2012. He made four appearances for the under-21s in 2015. Left-footed, he played mainly as a winger, though at times he was used as a second striker or a false nine. His nickname came from his slight build and his knack for slipping past defenders. He was left without a club after his spell in Malaysia. On 24 October 2026 he announced in a video on his social media accounts that he was retiring from professional football.