Sebastián Pérez (footballer, born 1993)

Sebastián Pérez Cardona (born 29 March 1993), sometimes known as Seba Pérez, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Portuguese Primeira Liga club Boavista.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pérez and the second or maternal family name is Cardona.
Sebastián Pérez
Pérez with Atlético Nacional in 2016
Personal information
Full name Sebastián Pérez Cardona[1]
Date of birth (1993-03-29) 29 March 1993
Place of birth Envigado, Colombia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Boavista
Number 24
Youth career
2006–2010 Atlético Nacional
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2016 Atlético Nacional 119 (2)
2016–2021 Boca Juniors 15 (0)
2018 → Pachuca (loan) 0 (0)
2019 → Barcelona SC (loan) 24 (0)
2020–2021 → Boavista (loan) 16 (2)
2021– Boavista 64 (3)
International career‡
2011–2013 Colombia U20 16 (0)
2015–2016 Colombia Olympic 7 (0)
2016– Colombia 10 (1)
Medal record
 Colombia
Copa América Centenario
Bronze medal – third place2016 United States
Copa América
Third place2021
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 September 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:42, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

He is known for his abilities to react quickly and his skills playing both in a defensive and an attacking role. He was referenced earlier in his career by media abroad his native Colombia as a highly rated top prospect in Colombia.[2][3]

Club career

Atlético Nacional

On 4 March 2011, Pérez made his official debut for Nacional against Atlético Junior, replacing Macnelly Torres in the 86th minute. He would eventually win the 2011 Torneo Apertura with Los Verdolagas, making him the youngest player to win the honour at age 18. The following year, he was part of the Nacional squad that won both the Copa Colombia and the Superliga Colombiana, thus winning every top tier trophy in Colombia before the age of 20.[4]

Following Colombia's exit from the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he was invited to Arsenal for a trial in August.[5] He came on as a sub in the 67th minute for Arsenal's friendly against Manchester City, wearing the number 32 jersey. Arsenal went on to win the game 3–1. Despite only playing for 26 minutes, Pérez was praised for his natural abilities despite being so young. Arsène Wenger stated that he was impressed with Pérez during the week trial and decided to add him in the game.[6] Despite impressing both the London club and its fans, Pérez was unable to get a work-permit because 'he had yet to play at least 75% of Colombia's international matches'. Thus, he was sent back to Nacional.[7] Despite this, Wenger claimed that he would continue monitoring Perez until an opportunity to sign him comes.[8][9]

On 27 July 2016, Pérez and Atlético Nacional conquered the 2016 Copa Libertadores. This was his first major title. Before leaving Nacional, Pérez had converted himself into one of the most decorated players in Atlético Nacional's history, achieving ten titles with the club.

Boca Juniors

In 2016, Pérez signed with Argentinian club Boca Juniors. He could not play for the team from April 2017 to January 2018, due to an ACL injury.[10]

Pachuca

In September 2018 he was loaned out to Pachuca.[11][12] He made his debut on 26 September in a 3-0 victory against Cafetaleros de Chiapas as part of the Copa MX. However, that ended up being his first and only game for the club and he only made one other substitute appearance.

Barcelona S.C.

On 3 January 2019, Pérez transferred to Barcelona S.C. of Ecuador.[13] He made his debut for the club on 6 February against Defensor Sporting in the 2019 Copa Libertadores. He later played 24 league games in the 2019 Ecuadorian Serie A without scoring any goals.

Boavista

On 19 September 2020, his loan to Primeira Liga club Boavista was announced.[14]

On 31 August 2021, Boavista exercised the option in the loan contract to purchase his rights permanently and signed a four-year contract with Pérez.[15]

International career

Youth

Pérez first represented the U20 Colombia national team in 2011, where he took part in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup that took place in his home land. He was then recalled for the 2013 South American Youth Championship, where Colombia eventually won the championship and qualified for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. There, Pérez would give impressive performances, attracting the likes of top European teams.[16][17][18]

Senior

Pérez received his first call-up from the senior Colombia national team under the order of José Pékerman to face Bolivia and Ecuador for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He earned his first cap against Bolivia, being included in the starting 11 and playing 62 minutes before being replaced by Edwin Cardona. Colombia went on to win in La Paz 2–3. His first international goal came in the next qualifying game against Ecuador in Barranquilla on 29 March 2016. Assisted by Cardona, Pérez scored an acrobatic goal in the 3–1 victory.

In May 2018, he was named in Colombia's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[19] However, he did not make the final cut.[20]

Style of play

"In European football, I admire Éver Banega, Fernando Gago, Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Andrea Pirlo, I am excited about playing in Europe. I want to go there and try to make it, but I am driven by those I grew up with. They had the same dreams as me, but perhaps not the same talent. There's luck involved, but also a lot of discipline. You need that to make the most of the talent you have."

Pérez, speaking of his opportunity with a trial at Arsenal and his inspirations that led to his playing style.[21]

Pérez was an amateur footballer, before joining Nacional in 2011, and yet was considered to be a 'pure natural talent' by the Colombian club.[2] He is a well-known versatile player mostly because of his ability to use both feet accurately, as well as carrying 'panoramic vision' as shown through his accurate passing. Despite committing to a defensive midfielder most of the time, Pérez has shown that he is capable of shooting with precision from great distances.[22][17] He is often regarded very high by many top teams such as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain because of his potential, led to being almost being signed by each respective club at one point.[23][24][21]

Pérez also spoke that committing to a defensive midfielder (as well as an overall midfielder in general) role throughout most of his games, was because of his admiration for Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Andrea Pirlo, that inspired him to make a difference in both defending and attacking. This is one of the reasons why he is often seen as a crucial player in counter-attacking.[3]

Personal life

Pérez married Manuela Restrepo in 2015.[25] In July 2016, the couple had their first child, a son.[26] In 2017, Pérez became a vegan for ethical reasons.[27]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 18 September 2023[28]
Club performance League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
ClubSeasonLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals Apps Goals AppsGoals Apps Goals AppsGoals
Atlético Nacional2011Categoría Primera A33060 —— —390
2012 Categoría Primera A150120 —4[lower-alpha 1]0 —310
2013 Categoría Primera A11062 —0 0 —172
2014 Categoría Primera A291100 —3[lower-alpha 2]0 2[lower-alpha 3] 0441
2015 Categoría Primera A25100 —1[lower-alpha 1]0 2[lower-alpha 3] 0281
2016 Categoría Primera A6000 —12[lower-alpha 1]0 2[lower-alpha 3] 1201
Total 1192342 —200 6 11795
Boca Juniors2016–17Primera División1200 0 —— —120
2017–18 Primera División300 0 —4[lower-alpha 1]0 —70
Total 15000 —40 —190
Pachuca (loan)2018–19Liga MX0010 —— —10
Barcelona SC (loan) 2019 Ecuadorian Serie A 24 0 — — 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 — 25 0
Boavista (loan) 2020–21 Primeira Liga 16 2 1 0 — — — 17 2
Boavista 2021–22 Primeira Liga 30 0 1 0 5 0 — — 36 0
2022–23 Primeira Liga 29 3 1 0 4 0 — — 34 3
2023–24 Primeira Liga 5 0 0 0 1 0 — — 6 0
Total 80 5 3 0 10 0 — — 93 5
Career total 2387382 10 0250 6 131710
  1. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  2. Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  3. Appearance(s) in Superliga Colombiana

International
As of match played 21 June 2021[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Colombia 2016 8 1
2021 2 0
Total 10 1
As of match played 21 June 2021
Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pérez goal
List of international goals scored by Sebastián Pérez
#DateVenueOpponentScoreFinalCompetition
1.29 March 2016Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia Ecuador
2–0
3–1
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Atlético Nacional

Boca Juniors

International
Colombia

References
  1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013 List of Players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2013. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013.
  2. "Arsenal transfers: Spotlight on the Colombian set to go on trial at the Emirates". talkSPORT. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. Chris Beattie. "Why Arsenal have handed trials to Atletico Nacional starlet Sebastian Perez". Tribal Football. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  4. "Sebastián Pérez". Fichajes .com: Noticias y rumores sobre el mercado de fichajes de fútbol. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  5. "Arsenal take Sebastian Perez on trial". Sports Mole. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  6. "Trialist Sebastian Perez features in Arsenal friendly win – what do the fans think?". Here Is The City. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  7. "Arsenal's Perez deal hits major hitch – Deal now off?". Here Is The City. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  8. "Sebas Pérez: "Arsenal me seguirá de cerca"". Fox Sports. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  9. "Ingrata pero provechosa experiencia en el Arsenal". Elcolombiano.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  10. "Sebastián Pérez sale de Boca Juniors y es nuevo jugador de Pachuca". Colombia.com (in Spanish). 5 September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  11. "Pachuca le dio la bienvenida a Sebastián Pérez". www.elcolombiano.com (in European Spanish). 5 September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  12. "Sebastián Pérez, nuevo jugador del Pachuca de México". Caracol Radio (in Spanish). 5 September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  13. "Sebastián Pérez es nuevo jugador del Barcelona de Ecuador". AS Colombia (in Spanish). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  14. "Sebastián Pérez es nuevo jugador de Boavista de Portugal". Colombia.com (in Spanish). 19 September 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  15. "Comunicado da Boavista FC, Futebol SAD" (in Portuguese). Boavista. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  16. "Porto want Arsenal trialist Sebastian Perez – report". Here Is The City. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  17. "Arsenal transfer news: Arsenal hand trial to Sebastian Perez ahead of possible summer transfer – Metro News". Metro. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  18. "Arsenal to take Colombia U20 star Sebastian Perez on trial | the Elastico". www.theelastico.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  19. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. "Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez named in Colombia's World Cup squad | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  21. "Colombian Starlet Aims to Impress Arsenal Coaches After Earning Trial". International Business Times UK. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  22. "YouTube". Youtube.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  23. Administrator. "Arsenal hand Under 20 World Cup star a trial – Transfer News". TheSportsCampus.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  24. "Transfer Rumors 2013 – Arsenal Might Sign Sebastián Pérez – Sportige". Sportige.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  25. "Sebastián Pérez celebra cumpleaños y gol con la Selección". KienyKe (in Spanish). 29 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  26. "Sebastián Pérez está que no se cambia por nada ¡Ya es padre!". Noticias Caracol (in Spanish). Medellín, Colombia: Caracol Televisión. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  27. Szeinfeld, Juan (20 January 2018). "Seba Pérez se hizo vegano" [Seba Pérez became a vegan]. Olé (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  28. "Sebastián Pérez". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  29. "Sebastián Pérez". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
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