Not to be confused with Alex Mejia.
Alexander Mejía
Full nameAlexander Mejía Sabalza[1]
Birth date11 July 1988 (age 38)
Birth placeBarranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Height1.72 m[2]
PositionMidfielder
Years 12005–2012
Clubs 1Deportes Quindío
Caps 1101
Goals 14
Years 22011
Clubs 2→ Once Caldas (loan)
Caps 237
Goals 20
Years 32012–2014
Clubs 3Atlético Nacional
Caps 388
Goals 30
Years 42015–2016
Clubs 4Monterrey
Caps 414
Goals 40
Years 52015–2016
Clubs 5→ Atlético Nacional (loan)
Caps 540
Goals 50
Years 62016–2018
Clubs 6León
Caps 663
Goals 60
Years 72019–2021
Clubs 7Libertad
Caps 765
Goals 70
Years 82021–2022
Clubs 8Santa Fe
Caps 811
Goals 80
Years 92022–2023
Clubs 9Atlético Nacional
Caps 913
Goals 91
Years 102023
Clubs 10Unión Magdalena
Caps 107
Goals 100
Years 112024
Clubs 11Deportivo Cali
Caps 1132
Goals 110
Nationalyears 12012–2022
Nationalteam 1Colombia
Nationalcaps 127
Nationalgoals 10
Pcupdate14 November 2024
Ntupdate22:08, 27 January 2022 (UTC)

Alexander Mejía Sabalza (born 11 July 1988) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[3] He is described by FIFA's official website as "a linchpin noted for his ability to tidy up mistakes, rob possession and track down and pressurize opponents".[4]

Club career

Colombia

Mejía made his professional debut for Deportes Quindío in 2005, where he played for seven years, including a loan spell at Once Caldas.[4] In 2012, he joined Atlético Nacional and won both the Copa Colombia and the Superliga Colombiana in his first season.[4] In the following seasons, Mejía helped Nacional to three consecutive Colombian league titles, becoming team captain after the departure of Macnelly Torres.[4]

Mexico

Mejía finished his loan at Nacional in June 2016. He was then transferred to León in the Liga MX for the Apertura 2016.[5] However, as a part of the deal, he was able to stay with Nacional until after the Medellín club had finished its campaign in the Copa Libertadores.[6]

Libertad

On 29 December 2018, Mejia joined Club Libertad of Paraguay on a free transfer for two years.[7]

International career

In 2012, Mejía made his debut for the Colombia national team in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Peru.[4] He went on to become a regular member of the squad in the remainder of the campaign, making five appearances overall.[4]

2014 World Cup

On 9 June 2014, he was named in Colombia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and played in four of the five matches Colombia had.[8] On 14 June, Mejía appeared as a sixty-ninth-minute substitute in Colombia's opening match of the tournament, a 3–0 victory over Greece in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.[9] Mejía also appeared in the following match against Ivory Coast on 19 June 2014, coming on as a substitute in the seventy-ninth minute, and seeing out a 2–1 victory in Brazil's capital, Brasília.[10] In Colombia's third – and last – game of the Group Stage, they played against Japan. Mejía started at a defensive midfielder role alongside Fredy Guarín, playing the entire eighty-minute game. Colombia won 1–4.[11] Mejía's last game of the 2014 World Cup came against Uruguay in the Round of 16 in the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro on 28 June. Colombia won 2–0,[12] and progressed to the Quarter-finals, playing against the hosts, Brazil, losing 2–1.[13]

Season statistics

Domestic club statistics
ClubSeasonLeagueCup[a]Continental[b]Other[c]Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Atlético Nacional2012Categoría Primera A2701108020480
20133604080—480
20141902010020330
Atlético Nacional (loan)20152301000—240
20161701012010310
Total1220190380501840
Monterrey2014–15Liga MX14030—170
León2016–17Liga MX23031—261
2017–1825040290
2018–1910050150
Total740121—861
Career total1960311380502701
  1. ^ Appearances in the Copa Colombia and Copa MX
  2. ^ Includes appearances in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana
  3. ^ Appearances only in the Superliga Colombiana

Honours

Club

Atlético Nacional

References

  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players: Colombia". FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 9. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Alexander Mejía" (in Spanish). Atlético Nacional. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. ^ Alexander Mejía es nuevo jugador de Libertad de Paraguay, goal.com, 29 December 2018
  4. ^ "Alexander MEJIA". FIFA. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Alexander Mejía regresa a México con León" (in Spanish). Univision Deportes. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Oficial: Atlético Nacional cede a Davinson Sánchez al Ajax, pero jugará Copa Libertadores" (in Spanish). HSB Noticias. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Alexander Mejía es nuevo jugador de Libertad de Paraguay" (in es-CO). Goal.com. 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  8. ^ "World Cup 2014: Radamel Falcao out of Colombia squad". BBC Sport. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  9. ^ Whalley, Mike (14 June 2014). "Colombia 3–0 Greece". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  10. ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (19 June 2014). "World Cup: Colombia 2–1 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  11. ^ Fanning, Evan (24 June 2014). "Japan v Colombia, World Cup 2014: as it happened". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  12. ^ McNulty, Phil (28 June 2014). "Colombia 2–0 Uruguay". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  13. ^ Rich, Tim (4 July 2014). "Brazil vs Colombia match report World Cup 2014: Thiago Silva and David Luiz score to set up semi-final against Germany". The Independent. Archived 2018-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 October 2018.