Gary Alexis Medel Soto (; born 3 August 1987) is a Chilean professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays for Italian club

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

and the Chile national team as a centre-back and a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

. Medel has played club football with several teams in numerous countries, starting out with Chilean side Universidad Católica, and later playing for Argentine side Boca Juniors, Spanish side

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, Premier League side Cardiff City, and Italian side

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

, before moving to Beşiktaş in Turkey in 2017. He then moved back to Italy and joined Bologna in 2019. A full Chilean international with over 150 caps since 2007, Medel has represented the nation at two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

s, five Copa América tournaments, and one edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup. He was part of the squad that won the

2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...

(where he was named in the Team of the tournament) and the

Copa América Centenario The Copa América Centenario ( pt, Copa América Centenário, french: Coupe Amerique Centennaire, en, Centennial Cup America; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the ...

. He was also included in the squads that finished fourth at the

2019 Copa América The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and ...

, and were runners-up at the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Club career

Early career in South America

Medel joined Universidad Católica at the age of 12. His youth team coach Mario Lepe put his name forward to join the senior ranks. On 20 July 2009, he joined Boca Juniors on an initial loan for US$300,000 with the option to buy for $2.5 million, with

Damián Díaz Damián Rodrigo Díaz Montero (, born 1 May 1986) is a footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Barcelona SC. Born in Argentina, he represents the Ecuador national team. Club career Rosario Central Díaz began his career at homet ...

being sent in the opposite direction. Medel said of the move "This is a dream come true. It is a very important club, and one which has players which I admire a lot,

Juan Román Riquelme Juan Román Riquelme (; born 24 June 1978) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current vice-president of Boca Juniors, the club where he spent the majority of his playing career.Martín Palermo Martín Palermo (; born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Platense. Palermo played for Boca Juniors and the Argentina national team. A prolific goalscorer ...

and

Sebastián Battaglia Sebastián Alejandro Battaglia (born 8 November 1980) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a midfielder and manager. He spent most of his career with Argentine club Boca Juniors, but also had a brief spell with Spanish side Villar ...

. He is my idol and has me very happy to play by his side". Medel scored both goals in a 2–0 win in the Superclásico against River Plate on 25 March 2010. Before he joined

, his farewell match with Boca was a friendly against River in Mar del Plata. He came on in the 77th minute of the 2–0 win.

Sevilla

Medel joined Sevilla for €3 million on 28 January 2011, on a -year contract, on the same day as the club also signed

Ivan Rakitić Ivan Rakitić (; born 10 March 1988) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Sevilla. Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was s ...

for their central midfield. He said "I am happy to be here, I hope that everything goes well. I'm a player who puts a lot into my heart on the pitch, I hope that with my playing that I can contribute to Sevilla". On 12 February, he made his

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

debut, playing all 90 minutes of a 2–3 away defeat at

Racing Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Span ...

. He helped Sevilla to a 1–1 draw against

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

at home on 12 March, clearing the ball off the line twice, the second on an attempt by

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

Cardiff City

On 11 August 2013, Cardiff City confirmed that they had signed Medel from Sevilla for a club record £11 million fee on a four-year deal. He made his debut for the club on 17 August, in a 2–0 defeat against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

. He made his home debut at the

Cardiff City Stadium The Cardiff City Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team. Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2 ...

on 25 August, in a 3–2 win against Manchester City. Medel played all 90 minutes and received the fans'

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

award.

Inter Milan

After Cardiff's relegation, Medel joined Italian club

for a reported £10 million fee on 9 August 2014. The fee, which was £1 million less than what Cardiff had signed Medel for, was criticised by former striker Nathan Blake, but was justified by Cardiff manager

Ole Gunnar Solskjær Ole Gunnar Solskjær (; born 26 February 1973) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who played as a forward who last managed Premier League club Manchester United. As a player, Solskjær spent the majority of his car ...

. Medel made his

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

debut for Inter on 31 August as they began the season with a goalless draw at

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

, playing the full 90 minutes. On 31 October 2015, Medel scored his first goal for Inter to give the ''Nerazzurri'' a 1–0 victory over ''Scudetto'' rivals

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. On 23 October 2016, in the 2–1 away defeat at

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...

, Medel hit

Jasmin Kurtić Jasmin Kurtić (born 10 January 1989) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Super League Greece club PAOK, on loan from Parma, and the Slovenia national team. Club career Early career A right-footed midfiel ...

in the face with his left arm, an incident that was not spotted by the referee. A day later, however, he was banned for three league games by Lega Serie A after examining TV images. On 20 November 2016, in the

Derby della Madonnina The Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Derby di Milano (Milan Derby, in English), is a derby football match between the two prominent Milanese clubs, Internazionale and A.C. Milan. It is called ''Derby della Madonnina'' in honour of one ...

against cross-town rivals

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

, Medel played as centre-back for 37 minutes before replaced by Jeison Murillo due to a knee injury. Following the match, which ended in a 2–2 draw, it was confirmed that Medel had damaged his

lateral meniscus The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It is nearly circula ...

and would be sidelined until January 2017. Medel returned to action on 28 January by playing in Inter's 3–0 home defeat of

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

. Later on 12 March, he made his 100th appearance for Inter as the ''Nerazzurri'' beat Atalanta 7–1 at home.

Beşiktaş

On 11 August 2017, Medel signed for

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

champions Beşiktaş for a reported €3 million. He signed a three-year contract.

Bologna

On 29 August 2019, Medel signed a three-year contract with Serie A club

for a reported fee of €2.5 million. He debuted for

against rivals

SPAL Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in 1907, sinc ...

on 30 August 2019.

International career

U20 and early senior career

In March 2007, Medel made his international debut for

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

in a friendly against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Later that year, he played a key role in

's third-place finish in the U-20 World Cup held in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He was sent off in the semi-final match against Argentina, when he kicked

Gabriel Mercado Gabriel Iván Mercado (born 18 March 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Internacional. Mainly a right back, he could also play as a central defender. He began his career with Racing Club and Estudiantes before joining ...

in the 24th minute and was suspended for the third-place play-off. Medel claimed that he was

taser A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended t ...

ed by police after the match. He made his competitive debut for Chile in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Bolivia in a 2–0 victory at the

Estadio Hernando Siles Estadio Hernando Siles is a multi-purpose stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest stadium, with a capacity of 41,143 seats. It is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President of Bolivia (1926–1930). The stadium is locat ...

in La Paz, scoring both goals, the first being a

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before d ...

. Medel played an important role in Chile's qualification for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, playing as a central defender or right back. He started in the three group-stage matches at the World Cup finals in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, but was suspended for the round of 16 match against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where ''la Roja'' were eliminated. He was named in Chile's squad for the 2011 Copa América, featuring in all three

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

matches, the first two as a starter. In the quarter-final match against

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

in San Juan, Argentina, he was sent off for handball and Chile lost 2–1.

2014 World Cup

Medel played a key role in

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

, scoring the goal that secured qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, heading a goal against

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. Medel captained Chile in a 1–0 friendly defeat to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on 5 March 2014. He was one of 23 players who were called up by coach

Jorge Sampaoli Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya (; born 13 March 1960) is an Argentine football coach who is currently manager for Sevilla of La Liga. Sampaoli started out as a youth player and eventually switched to management after a severe injury. Sampaoli starte ...

to play in 2014 FIFA World Cup in

. Medel played as a starter alongside Gonzalo Jara in the center of defense, for Chile who beat Australia 3–1 in

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city ...

to get their first three points of the World Cup campaign. He also played a full 90 minutes in second match against the reigning world champions

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, with Chile getting a historic 2–0 win. Spain's loss sealed the qualification of both Chile and the Netherlands to the knockout stage, and eliminated both Spain and Australia. Spain became the fifth defending champion to be knocked out in the group stage. Medel played 90 minutes in the final group match against

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

who won 2–0 and won the group, while Chile finished Group B as runner-up with six points. Chile was eliminated in the round of 16 against the same team that eliminated them in last tournament,

, but this time, Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals by winning on penalty shootout.

2015 Copa América

At the

, held in Chile, Medel scored during a 5–0 win against Bolivia which ensured that ''La Roja'' would progress to the knockout stage as

Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...

winners. In the semi-final against

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, he scored an

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

from Luis Advíncula's cross to equalise, but Chile advanced to

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

winning 2–1. In the final against

, Medel played as a starter and helped the team to win the trophy on penalty kicks, after the regular time ended in a goalless draw. Medel became the fourth most capped player with 80 matches, equaling his defense partner Gonzalo Jara. That was Medel's first major trophy with Chile. For his performances he was named in the Team of the tournament.

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

In June 2017, Medel was named in the

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was the 10th and final edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup, a quadrennial international men's football tournament organised by FIFA. It was held in Russia, from 17 June to 2 July 2017, as a prelude to the 201 ...

squad in Chile's first ever participation. On 13 June, in the friendly against

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

, Medel received a red-card in 33rd minute as Chile slumped into a 3–2 away defeat. It was his fourth red-card with the national team in 99 appearances. He captained Chile in the first two

Group B Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...

matches against

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

due to

Claudio Bravo Claudio Andrés Bravo Muñoz (; born 13 April 1983) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Betis and captains the Chile national team. He started playing with Colo-Colo and moved to Real Sociedad ...

's injury, also earning his 100th cap in the process, becoming the fourth Chile player to achieve the feat. Then he was rested for the final group match as Chile achieved a second-place which allowed them to go to knockout stage.

2019 Copa América

In the third-place match of the

against Argentina on 6 July, Medel was sent off along with

in the 37th minute of play, after being involved in an altercation with the Argentine; Chile lost the match 2–1.

Style of play

Medel usually plays as a defensive midfielder; however, he is also capable of playing as a defender, and has even been deployed as a centre-back throughout his career, as well as in other midfield roles, or even as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. Due to his work-rate, physicality, tenacity, tactical intelligence, and his aggressive, hard-tackling style of play, as well as his leadership on the pitch, he is nicknamed ''Pitbull''. In 2015, manager

Roberto Mancini Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Sa ...

described Medel as a ''warrior''.

Career statistics

Club

International

''Scores and results list Chile's goal tally first.''

Honours

International

Chile * Copa América: 2015,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Individual

Chilean Footballer of the Year Chilean Footballer of the Year is an award that the Circulo de Periodistas de Chile annually grants, to those Chilean soccer players who during the season of Primera División de Chile have obtained the greater number of points, in agreement with th ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

* Universidad Católica Footballer of the year: 2008 * Team of Copa Libertadores : 2008 * Team of year in South America: 2009Gary Medel también está en el 'equipo ideal' de América , FÚTBOL , latercera.com
* Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2015,

References

External links

* *
2010 FIFA World Cup profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Medel, Gary 1987 births Living people Footballers from Santiago Chilean footballers Association football midfielders Club Deportivo Universidad Católica footballers Boca Juniors footballers Sevilla FC players Cardiff City F.C. players Inter Milan players Beşiktaş J.K. footballers Bologna F.C. 1909 players Chilean Primera División players Argentine Primera División players La Liga players Premier League players Serie A players Süper Lig players Chile under-20 international footballers Chile international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 Copa América players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Copa América players Copa América Centenario players 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2019 Copa América players 2021 Copa América players Copa América-winning players FIFA Century Club Chilean expatriate footballers Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Spain Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Wales Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Italy Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Argentina Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Wales Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Turkey

Club career

Early career in South America

Sevilla

Cardiff City

Inter Milan

Beşiktaş

Bologna

International career

U20 and early senior career

2014 World Cup

2015 Copa América

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

2019 Copa América

Style of play

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

International

Individual

See also

References

External links