Jonathan Santana Gehre (born 19 October 1981) is an Argentina-born Paraguayan former
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
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 boundarie ...
and current
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...
. He played for the
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
national team from 2007 to 2016.
Santana was a key part of Paraguay's national team whilst under management of
Tata Martino
Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player.
Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He holds the record of appearances with the team playing ...
, featuring in three major competitions, the
2007 Copa América
The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The c ...
, 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 ...
and the
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...
. Santana missed 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 ...
of the latter due to a red card in the semi-final against Venezuela. Santana's career ran from 1998 to 2020, playing in
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
In 2021, Santana retired as a footballer and became a model.
Career
Santana's debut was in the 1998–99 season in Argentina's lower leagues, appearing in the squad with
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese defender
Shinji Muraki. He went on to play for a number of
Argentine Primera
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
clubs, including
San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Lorenzo, Santa Fe
* San Lorenzo Department, Chaco
* Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
and
River Plate.
San Lorenzo
For the 2001–02 season, Santana joined San Lorenzo de Almagro for the
2002 Copa Libertadores
The 2002 Copa Libertadores de América was the 43rd edition of CONMEBOL's premier club football tournament. It was won by the Paraguayan club Olimpia; their third title.
First round
The first round of the Copa Libertadores drew 32 teams into eig ...
and
Copa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...
tournaments, winning the latter and forming the squad with
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 ...
midfielder
William Tabi. In the 2004–05 season, Santana appeared for San Lorenzo in the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
in the squad with
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi (; born 3 May 1985) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. During his career, his most important attributes were his pace, hardworking style of play, technique, creativity, and dribbling abi ...
.
River Plate
For the 2005–06 season, Santana joined Argentine River Plate, reaching the quarter-final stages of the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
. Santana formed part of a high-profile team that included
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Juan Pablo Carrizo (born 6 May 1984) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He started his professional career with River Plate, where he played until 2008, winning the 2008 Clausura. His performances earne ...
,
German Lux,
Diego Buonanotte
Diego Mario Buonanotte Rende (; born 19 April 1988) is an Argentine naturalized Chilean Association football, footballer who plays for Peruvian club Sporting Cristal as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder and Midfielder#Wing ...
,
Marcelo Gallardo
Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (; born 18 January 1976) is an Argentine football coach and former professional player who last managed River Plate. Gallardo began his career in the club's youth divisions, and made his debut in the Argentine Primera D ...
,
Daniel Montenegro
Daniel Gastón Montenegro Casella (born 28 March 1979) is an Argentine former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.
He spent most of his professional career with Huracán and Independiente, having several spells with both c ...
,
Oscar Ahumada
Oscar Adrián Ahumada (born 31 August 1982) is a former Argentine football midfielder.
Club career
Born in Zárate, Buenos Aires, Ahumada made his professional debut with Club Atlético River Plate on 24 November 2002, in a 2–1 victory again ...
,
Matias Abelairas,
Luciano Figueroa
Luciano Gabriel "Lucho" Figueroa Herrera (; born 19 May 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
Figueroa was born in Santa Fe. He began his professional career with Primera División club Ro ...
,
Gaston Fernandez,
Gonzalo HiguaÃn
Gonzalo Gerardo HiguaÃn (; born 10 December 1987) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Pipita'' or ''Pipa'', HiguaÃn was a prolific striker, known for his eye for goal, strong physique, and o ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n striker
Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao GarcÃa Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and often captains the Colombia national team. Nicknamed "''El Tigre''" (Spanish for ''The Tige ...
and future Paraguay national team colleague
Julio Cesar Caceres.
Wolfsburg
In August 2006, he signed a five-year contract with German
VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
. Whilst Santana was at Wolfsburg during the 2006–07 season, he formed part of the team with Paraguayan
Julio dos Santos. For his second season at the club, Santana was teammates with
Edin Dzeko.
San Lorenzo (loan)
During a loan move to San Lorenzo in the 2008–09 Argentine Primera División season, he joined Paraguayan
Aureliano Torres
Aureliano Torres Román (born 16 June 1982) is a Paraguayan former footballer who last played for 12 de Octubre in the Paraguayan División Intermedia. At club level, Torres achieved the 2002 Emperor's Cup in Japan, the Torneo Clausura of th ...
in the squad.
Santana returned to Wolfsburg for the 2009–10 season, where the team participated in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
Kayserispor
Following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Santana joined Turkish Super Lig team Kayserispor, partnering up with
Marcelo Zalayeta
Marcelo Danubio Zalayeta (; born 5 December 1978) is a Uruguayan former footballer who played as a striker.
Zalayeta began his club career with Danubio before moving to Peñarol for a season in 1997, where he won the Uruguayan Primera Divisià ...
,
Franco Cangele,
Ali Bilgin
Ali Bilgin (born 17 December 1981) is a former German football player of Turkish descent. His versatility and ability to use both feet allows him to fill in at various positions if needed. One of his former clubs is Rot-Weiss Essen which got pr ...
,
Önder Turaci,
Mehmet Boyraz and
James Troisi
James Troisi ( ; born 3 July 1988) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Western United.
Early life
Troisi was born in Rose Park, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, to Greek parent ...
in his first season at the club. Santa made 20 league appearances and scored four goals in his first season at the club, which saw Kayserispor finish in sixth position in the Super Lig table.
In Santana's second season at the club, he amassed 15 league appearances before being loaned out to Primera División Paraguaya team Libertad for the 2012 season. Prior to his loan move, he was joined at Kayserispor by national team colleague
Cristian Riveros
Cristian Miguel Riveros Núñez (born 16 October 1982) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for Libertad as a defensive midfielder.
A full international for Paraguay since 2005, he has earned 99 caps for his country, playing at tw ...
.
Cerro Porteño
Santana debuted for Cerro Porteño in a 3–1 away victory against
Club 12 de Octubre
12 de Octubre Football Club is a Paraguayan football club from the city of Itauguá that currently plays in the División Intermedia, the second division of Football in Paraguay. Founded in 1914, the club's home venue is Estadio Luis Alberto Sa ...
on 16 February 2014. Santana was substituted onto the field for
Fidencio Oviedo in the 83rd minute of the match.
International career
In June 2007, Santana received
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
an citizenship (his mother is a Paraguayan citizen born in
San Ignacio,
Misiones Department
Misiones () is a department located in the southern region of Paraguay. Its capital is San Juan Bautista. The eighth of Paraguay's 17 departments, it was created in 1906, then known as the ''San Ignacio Department'', and was not given its p ...
and Argentina did not recognize dual citizenship). He played for Paraguay in the
2007 Copa América
The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The c ...
. He was also named in Paraguay's final 23-men squad 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 ...
. He entered the field during Paraguay's first game, a 1–1 draw with
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, but suffered an injury during the match. However, as Paraguay's coach
Gerardo Martino
Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player.
Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He holds the record of appearances with the team playing a ...
had already made the three available substitutions, Santana had to stay on the field and play injured for the remaining time.
Modeling career
Following his retirement from football in 2021, Santana and his wife modelled for a clothes store at Asunción shopping centre
Paseo la Galeria.
Career statistics
Honours
San Lorenzo
*
Copa Mercosur
The Copa Mercosur (, pt, Copa Mercosul , "Mercosur Cup") was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV m ...
:
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
VfL Wolfsburg
*
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
:
2008–09
References
External links
Jonathan Santanaat playmakerstats.com
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Santana, Jonathan
Citizens of Paraguay through descent
Paraguayan men's footballers
Paraguay men's international footballers
Argentine men's footballers
Paraguayan expatriate men's footballers
Club Almagro players
Argentine Primera División players
San Lorenzo de Almagro footballers
Club Atlético Nueva Chicago footballers
Club Atlético River Plate footballers
Club Atlético Independiente footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Bundesliga players
VfL Wolfsburg players
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
Süper Lig players
Kayserispor footballers
Paraguayan Primera División players
Club Libertad footballers
Club Atlético Belgrano footballers
Cerro Porteño players
Club Atlético Sarmiento footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Argentine emigrants to Paraguay
Argentine sportspeople of Paraguayan descent
Footballers from Buenos Aires
1981 births
Living people
2010 FIFA World Cup players
2011 Copa América players
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Germany