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Colombian footballer (born 1988) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Mejía Sabalza (born 11 July 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Deportivo Cali.[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]
 Mejía with Colombia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Mejía Sabalza[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Deportivo Cali | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2012 | Deportes Quindío | 101 | (4) |
| 2011 | → Once Caldas (loan) | 37 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Atlético Nacional | 88 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Monterrey | 14 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Atlético Nacional (loan) | 40 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | León | 63 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Libertad | 65 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Santa Fe | 11 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Atlético Nacional | 13 | (1) |
| 2023 | Unión Magdalena | 7 | (0) |
| 2024– | Deportivo Cali | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2022 | Colombia | 27 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 July 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:08, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | |||
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]
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]
On 29 December 2018, Mejia joined Club Libertad of Paraguay on a free transfer for two years.[7]
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]
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]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental[b] | Other[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Atlético Nacional | 2012 | Categoría Primera A | 27 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 0 |
| 2013 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Atlético Nacional (loan) | 2015 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Total | 122 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 184 | 0 | ||
| Monterrey | 2014–15 | Liga MX | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| León | 2016–17 | Liga MX | 23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||||||
| 2018–19 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 74 | 0 | 12 | 1 | — | 86 | 1 | |||||
| Career total | 196 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 270 | 1 | ||
Atlético Nacional
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