Valentín Castellanos was born on 3 October 1998 in Mendoza, Argentina. He developed at Universidad de Chile's youth setup and then moved through Montevideo City Torque, part of the City Football Group network, where his movement and finishing earned him a route into Major League Soccer.
At New York City FC he became one of MLS's best forwards, winning the Golden Boot and helping the club lift MLS Cup in 2021. A loan to Girona in La Liga proved that his scoring could translate to Europe, especially when he famously scored four goals against Real Madrid in 2023. Lazio then signed him, giving him Champions League and Serie A experience.
West Ham United brought him to the Premier League as a mobile centre-forward with a record of adapting across leagues. In east London he is asked to press, run channels and finish quickly in transition, giving the squad a different attacking profile from taller target forwards.
For Argentina he has been near the national-team conversation but has not become an established senior international, partly because competition at forward is severe. His best route to greater recognition is sustained Premier League scoring, especially in a role that shows he can contribute without needing the team built entirely around him.
Standing about 1.78 m, Castellanos is a right-footed striker with sharp movement, pressing energy and a confident penalty-box mentality. His profile is comparable to Lautaro Martínez in broad Argentine terms: aggressive, mobile and willing to fight centre-backs, though Castellanos is less proven at the very highest international level.