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Jordi Jair Govea Merlín (born 9 March 1999) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Olimpija Ljubljana.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jordi Jair Govea Merlín[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 March 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Esmeraldas, Ecuador[1] | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back, left-winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Olimpija Ljubljana | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2010 | Colmenar Viejo | ||
| 2010–2011 | E.F. Siete Picos | ||
| 2011–2018 | Real Madrid | ||
| 2018–2021 | Swansea City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | FC Cincinnati 2 | 6 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Beroe | 32 | (1) |
| 2024– | Olimpija Ljubljana | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:57, 18 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early career
Born in Esmeraldas in Ecuador, Govea moved to Spain at the age of three, joining the academy of Colmenar Viejo in 2005, before spending a season with E.F. Siete Picos.[2][3] It was at Siete Picos where he was scouted and signed by La Liga side Real Madrid, and he would go on to spend seven years with the Madrid-based side.[2]
In July 2018 he joined Welsh side Swansea City, who were then in the Championship, on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal.[4][5] Govea's time in Swansea was plagued by injury; after playing in a match against Tottenham Hotspur in April 2019, he missed the entirety of the 2019–20 season, and had to wait until February 2021 to make his next appearance for the club's reserve team - a total of 687 days.[6] He marked his return with a goal in a 2–0 win against the under-21 side of Millwall on 30 February 2021.[6]
Having been released at the end of the 2020–21 season, he received offers from clubs in Spain and Poland, before returning to Ecuador and coming close to signing for Emelec.[3] While in Ecuador he trained with Independiente del Valle, but would return to Britain to trial with Birmingham City in early 2022, though this was ultimately unsuccessful, in part due to his injury problems.[3][7]
FC Cincinnati 2
Govea signed with MLS Next Pro side FC Cincinnati 2 on 11 August 2022.[8] In November of the same year his contract came to an end, but he was offered an extension, with the hope that he would fight for a place in the FC Cincinnati squad, despite only making two appearances for the reserves.[3]
Beroe
After only four appearances the following season, he was linked with a return to Ecuador with Barcelona de Guayaquil.[9] However, he would go on to join Bulgarian side Beroe in August 2023.[10]
On 28 August 2024, Govea joined Slovenian PrvaLiga side Olimpija Ljubljana on a three-year deal.[11]
Govea's brother, Aimar, is also a professional footballer, and currently plays for Swansea City.[12]
Club
- As of 27 October 2023.[13]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Swansea U23 | 2018–19 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| FC Cincinnati 2 | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Beroe | 2023–24 | Bulgarian First League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Career total | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
- Notes
- Appearances in the EFL Trophy
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