Denil Castillo

Denil Castillo
Castillo with Ecuador in 2026
Personal information
Full name Denil Daniel Castillo Preciado
Date of birth (2004-03-24) 24 March 2004 (age 22)
Place of birth Eloy Alfaro Canton, Ecuador
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Midtjylland
Number 21
Youth career
LDU Quito
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 LDU Quito 0 (0)
2020–2021 → Atletico Kin 0 (0)
2023–2024 Shakhtar Donetsk 6 (0)
2024 → Partizan (loan) 14 (2)
2024– Midtjylland 58 (6)
International career‡
2022–2023 Ecuador U20 18 (0)
2025– Ecuador 7 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Ecuador
South American Games
Silver medal – second place2022 AsunciónTeam
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 October 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:10, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Denil Daniel Castillo Preciado (born 24 March 2004) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Midtjylland and the Ecuador national team.

Club career

On 24 April 2023, Shakhtar Donetsk announced that they'd signed Castillo to a five-year contract from LDU Quito, commencing 1 July 2023.

Castillo signed a five-year deal with Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland for a €4 million transfer fee on 1 July 2024. In March 2026 he extended his contract with Midtjylland until 2031.

International career

Castillo has represented Ecuador at youth level.

On 31 May 2026, Castillo was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Style of play

Castillo mainly operates as a central midfielder.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 October 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
LDU Quito 2021 LigaPro Serie A 0000—00
2022 LigaPro Serie A 00000000
2023 LigaPro Serie A 00000000
Total 00000000
Shakhtar Donetsk 2023–24 Ukrainian Premier League 60000060
Partizan (loan) 2023–24 Serbian SuperLiga 14210—152
Midtjylland 2024–25 Danish Superliga 22020130370
2025–26 Danish Superliga 26461161486
2026–27 Danish Superliga 1021070182
Total 586913511038
Career total 78810136112410
  1. ↑ Includes Serbian Cup, Danish Cup
  2. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, five appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

As of match played 1 October 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ecuador 202540
202630
Total70

Honours

Midtjylland

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™ SQUAD LIST: Ecuador (ECU)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 May 2023. p. 5. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "ОФІЦІЙНО. Шахтар підписав Деніля Кастільо".
  3. ↑ "Denil Castillo is Shakhtar player". shakhtar.com. FC Shakhtar Donetsk. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "DENIL CASTILLO IS A NEW MAN AT FC MIDTJYLLAND". fcm.dk. FC Midtjylland. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "FCM forlænger med midtbaneprofil" [Midtjylland extends with midfielder] (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  6. ↑ "Si lo trabajan bien, tenemos compañero para Moisés por mucho tiempo". onefootball.com.
  7. ↑ "Pacho and Caicedo headline Ecuador squad". 31 May 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  8. ↑ ""Antes apuntábamos a Brasil… Ahora cambiamos la orientación a Ecuador"". futbolecuador.com.
  9. ↑ Thrane, Kasper (14 May 2026). "Midtjysk dødbold afgjorde grim pokalfinale" [Midtjylland set piece settled ugly cup final]. DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.