Miguel Borja

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Borja and the second or maternal family name is Hernández.

Miguel Ángel Borja Hernández (born 26 January 1993) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Argentine Primera División club River Plate and the Colombia national team.

Miguel Borja

Borja playing for Cortuluá in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Miguel Ángel Borja Hernández[1]
Date of birth	(1993-01-26) 26 January 1993 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth	Tierralta, Colombia
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	River Plate
Number	9
Youth career
2011	Deportivo Cali
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	Deportivo Cali	0	(0)
2011	Cúcuta Deportivo	5	(0)
2012–2014	Cortuluá	33	(8)
2013	→ La Equidad (loan)	2	(4)
2013–2014	→ Livorno (loan)	8	(0)
2014	→ Olimpo (loan)	16	(3)
2015	→ Santa Fe (loan)	33	(10)
2016	Cortuluá	21	(19)
2016	Atlético Nacional	7	(1)
2017–2021	Palmeiras	49	(10)
2020–2021	→ Atlético Junior (loan)	37	(22)
2021	→ Grêmio (loan)	14	(5)
2022	Atlético Junior	17	(10)
2022–	River Plate	86	(44)
International career‡
2013	Colombia U20	15	(5)
2016	Colombia Olympic	5	(0)
2016–	Colombia	30	(9)
Medal record Representing  Colombia Men's football Copa América Runner-up 2024 United States 2021 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:22, 14 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 July 2024 (UTC)

Debuting with Deportivo Cali in 2011, he transferred to Cúcuta Deportivo later that year, and then moved to Cortuluá the following year. While remaining contracted to Cortuluá, in 2013, Borja was loaned to La Equidad before joining Serie A club Livorno for his first experience abroad, followed by a loan to Argentine side Olimpo in 2014. He returned to Colombia in 2015, going on loan to Santa Fe, where he was part of the squad that won both the Superliga Colombiana and the Copa Sudamericana. He eventually returned to Cortuluá in 2016, where he had his breakthrough season, emerging as the top scorer in the league during the Apertura, netting 19 goals, which propelled the team to the semi-finals. In June of that year, he transferred to Colombian giants Atlético Nacional, quickly making an impact by scoring four goals in the 2016 Copa Libertadores semi-finals against São Paulo and netting the decisive winning goal in the final against Independiente del Valle to secure the team's second title in the competition, while also finishing as the top scorer with 8 goals in that year's Copa Colombia; a competition he played between Cortuluá and Nacional. His standout performances earned him a spot in the Copa Libertadores Best XI and the prestigious title of South American Footballer of the Year. In February 2017, Borja transferred to Brazilian side Palmeiras on a five-year deal for a reported fee of $10.5 million, making him the fourth most expensive transfer in Brazilian football history. The following year, he won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title, finished as the top scorer in that year’s Campeonato Paulista, and was included in the Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year. In December 2019, Borja signed a one-year loan deal with Atlético Junior, where he played a key role in winning the 2020 Superliga Colombiana, scoring a crucial penalty in the first leg and helping secure a 3–2 aggregate victory over América de Cali. After a brief loan spell with Grêmio in 2021, he rejoined Atlético Junior in 2022. In July 2022, Borja moved to Argentine giants River Plate, where he signed a contract running until December 2025. He achieved his first titles with the club in 2023, winning the Argentine Primera División, Supercopa Argentina, and Trofeo de Campeones.

At youth level, Borja was part of the Colombia under-20 squad that won the 2013 South American Youth Football Championship. He also represented Colombia in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, reaching the quarter-finals. He made his senior debut for Colombia in November 2016 during a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Chile and scored his first two goals for the national team the following year in a 4–0 friendly win over China. Borja was included in Colombia’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and participated in the 2021 Copa América, where his country achieved third place, as well as the 2024 Copa América, where they finished as runners-up.

Club career

Colombia

Borja began his career with Deportivo Cali, making his professional debut in 2011. That same year, he was transferred to Cucuta Deportivo, club in which he had few chances to play. He would soon be transferred again, this time to play for Categoría Primera B side, Cortuluá. Borja would make a name for himself in the second division of Colombia, often being referred to as a 'fast' and 'complete goalscorer', as well as boasting impressive strength on the ball. His impressive performances with Cortuluá eventually led him to becoming an alternative striker for Colombia's national under-20 team in 2013. On 17 January 2013, it was reported that Independiente Medellin had been interested in acquiring Borja's services. However, nothing was finalized and Borja was eventually sold to first division side, La Equidad. In his 2 disputable games, Borja scored 4 goals before being transferred to Serie A side Livorno.

Livorno and Olimpo

During the summer of 2013, it was confirmed that Borja would join Italian club Livorno on loan. The loan consisted of a fee of €150,000 with an option to buy for €1.5 million.^[4]

His debut for Le Triglie came on 20 October, coming off the bench in a 1–2 loss to Sampdoria.

Borja made seven season appearances for the club but failed to score a goal. Livorno was eventually regulated to the Serie B after placing last for the season.

Shortly after Livorno were relegated, Borja was sent on loan to Argentine club Club Olimpo, where he scored three in sixteen games.

Return to Colombia

Borja was loaned to Independiente Santa Fe for the second half of 2015. That season, Borja scored ten goals in thirty-three matches. He won the 2015 Copa Sudamericana with the team (he played seven matches with no goals).

For the 2016 season, he was sold to Cortuluá who was 17th in the league the previous season. In the Apertura tournament of the season, Borja scored a record of nineteen goals in twenty-one matches, breaking the record of most goals scored by a player in a league tournament (the previous record was held by Jackson Martínez, with eighteen goals in the 2009 Finalizacion).^[5][6] His team Cortuluá reached the Semifinals, which they lost to Independiente Medellín.

He was transferred again on 8 June, this time to Atlético Nacional. On 6 July, during his first match for his new team, while playing against São Paulo in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, he scored twice, a feat he repeated in the second leg a week after. Then, on 27 July 2016, he went on to score the definitive goal in the final series against Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle, which Atlético Nacional ended up winning 2–1 on the aggregate. At the end of the year, Borja was included in the best 11 of the year.^[7]

Palmeiras

On 9 February 2017, it was announced that Borja had agreed to transfer to Brazilian side Palmeiras. He signed a five-year deal for a fee believed to be around US$10.5 million.^[8] Borja became the fourth most expensive transfer of Brazilian football.^[9]

Junior

On 28 December 2019, Borja signed a one-year loan deal with Atlético Junior.^[10] On 8 September 2020, in the first leg of the 2020 Superliga Colombiana, which had been moved from January to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Borja scored a penalty in an eventual 2-1 loss against América de Cali.^[11] However, this goal later proved to be crucial in the second leg, with Junior winning the second leg 2-0 and winning the title 3-2 on aggregate.^[12]

Grêmio

On 5 August 2021, Borja signed with Grêmio until December 2022 on loaned from Palmeiras, and was given the number 9 shirt.^[13]

River Plate

On 12 July 2022, Borja signed a contract with Argentine giants River Plate, running until December 2025.^[14]

International career

Borja was included in Colombia's 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making one substitute appearance in the group stage match against Senegal.^[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 21 December 2024^[16]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Deportivo Cali	2011	Primera A	0	0	1	0	—		—		1	0
Cúcuta Deportivo	2011		5	0	0	0	—		—		5	0
Cortuluá	2012	Primera B	22	4	5	0	—		—		27	4
	2013		11	4	4	2	—		—		15	6
	Total		33	8	9	2	—		—		42	10
La Equidad	2013	Primera A	2	4	0	0	0	0	—		2	4
Livorno (loan)	2013–14	Serie A	8	0	0	0	—		—		8	0
Olimpo (loan)	2014	Primera División	16	3	0	0	—		—		16	3
Santa Fe	2015	Primera A	33	10	5	0	11[a]	0	—		49	10
Cortuluá	2016		21	19	3	3	—		—		24	22
Atlético Nacional	2016		7	1	6	5	12[b]	11	2[c]	0	27	17
Palmeiras	2017	Série A	24	6	4	0	7[d]	0	8[e]	4	43	10
	2018		16	3	4	1	12[d]	9	12[e]	7	44	20
	2019		9	1	1	0	5[d]	2	10[e]	3	25	6
	Total		49	10	9	1	24	11	30	14	112	36
Junior (loan)	2020	Primera A	23	14	1	1	11[f]	5	2[g]	1	37	21
	2021		14	8	0	0	8[d]	6	—		22	14
	Total		37	22	1	1	19	11	2	1	59	35
Grêmio (loan)	2021	Série A	14	5	2	0	—		—		16	5
Junior	2022	Primera A	17	10	2	1	8[h]	5	—		27	16
River Plate	2022	Primera División	18	9	2	0	0	0	—		20	9
	2023		33	11	2	1	4[d]	1	2[i]	0	41	13
	2024		35	24	2	1	11[d]	6	1[i]	0	49	31
	Total		86	44	6	2	15	7	3	0	109	53
Career total			328	136	44	15	89	45	35	15	495	211

1. Four appearances in Copa Libertadores, seven appearances in Copa Sudamericana
2. Four appearances and five goals in Copa Libertadores, eight appearances and six goals in Copa Sudamericana
3. Appearance(s) in FIFA Club World Cup
4. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
5. Appearance(s) in Campeonato Paulista
6. Five appearances and one goal in Copa Libertadores, six appearances and four goals in Copa Sudamericana
7. Appearance(s) in Superliga Colombiana
8. Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
9. Appearance in Supercopa Argentina

International

As of match played 14 July 2024^[17]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Colombia	2016	1	0
	2017	4	2
	2018	5	1
	2021	13	4
	2022	4	1
	2024	3	1
Total		30	9

Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first.^[17]

List of international goals scored by Miguel Borja

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	14 November 2017	Chongqing Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China	China	3–0	4–0	Friendly
2				4–0
3	11 October 2018	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, United States	United States	4–2	4–2
4	8 June 2021	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia	Argentina	2–2	2–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	20 June 2021	Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil	Peru	1–1	1–2	2021 Copa América
6	9 September 2021	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia	Chile	1–0	3–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
7				2–0
8	24 March 2022		Bolivia	2–0	3–0
9	6 July 2024	State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States	Panama	5–0	5–0	2024 Copa América

Honours

Independiente Santa Fe

• Superliga Colombiana: 2015
• Copa Sudamericana: 2015

Atlético Nacional

• Copa Colombia: 2016
• Copa Libertadores: 2016

Palmeiras^[18]

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2018

Junior

• Superliga Colombiana: 2020

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División: 2023

Colombia

• Copa América third place: 2021

Colombia U20

• South American Youth Championship: 2013

Individual

• South American Footballer of the Year: 2016^[19]
• Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 2018^[20]
• Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2018^[20]

Sponsors

Miguel Borja is the Brand Ambassador^[21] for Binomo^[22] in LATAM from October to December 2024.

References

1. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
2. "FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016: List of Players: Atlético Nacional" (PDF). FIFA. 14 December 2016. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017.
3. "Miguel Borja" (in Spanish). Club Atlético River Plate. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
4. "Miguel Borja será fichado por el Livorno". Goal.com (in Spanish). 31 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
5. "Borja delivers on his promises". FIFA. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
6. "Miguel Borja y su récord de goles en torneos cortos del fútbol colombiano - Liga Águila". Futbolred.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
7. "Seis colombianos conforman el once ideal de América 2016". futbolred.com (in Spanish). 31 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
8. "Palmeiras fecha a contratação do atacante colombiano Borja" (in Portuguese). GloboEsporte. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
9. Borja e Pratto entram no top 10 de contratações mais caras no Brasil
10. "Junior Barranquilla anuncia acordo por contratação de Borja, do Palmeiras". Globoesporte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 29 December 2019.
11. "América derrotó 2-1 a Junior en la vuelta del FPC". ESPN. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
12. "Junior campeón de la Superliga con la que llegó a 13 títulos en su historia". ESPNdeportes.com (in Spanish). 12 September 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
13. "Borja é apresentado no Grêmio e fala em "fazer história"". SBT. 5 August 2021.
14. "Miguel Borja, nuevo jugador de River Plate". River Plate (in Spanish). 11 July 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
15. FIFA.com
16. "Miguel Borja". ogol. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
17. "Miguel Borja". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
18. "Scolari deja atrás la sombra del 7-1 y convierte Palmeiras en campeón de Liga". 25 November 2018.
19. "Atacante Miguel Borja é eleito o "Rei das Américas" de 2016". 23 February 2017.
20. "Com domínio do Palmeiras, Seleção é premiada recheada de finalistas" [With prevalence of Palmeiras, Best XI is awarded full of finalists] (in Portuguese). Federação Paulista de Futebol. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
21. Instagram - Miguel Borja as Brand Ambassador, retrieved 18 October 2024
22. Binomo Official Website, retrieved 18 October 2024

External links

• Miguel Borja at Soccerway