John Stiven Mendoza Valencia (born 27 June 1992) is a Colombian 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, rugb ...

who plays as a forward for

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

club Santos. He earned two

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for the

Colombia national football team The Colombia national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de Colombia) represents Colombia in men's international football and is managed by the Colombian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Colombia. They are a me ...

in 2019. Formed at Envigado and loaned to América Cali and

Cúcuta Deportivo Cúcuta Deportivo Fútbol Club S. A. is a professional Colombian football club based in Cúcuta, which plays in the Categoria Primera B. The club was officially founded on 10 September 1924, and its first appearance in a professional league wa ...

, he joined

Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footbal ...

in 2013. In 2014, he was signed by Chennaiyin for the inaugural

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federa ...

season, after which he joined

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author ...

, being loaned back for the second installment of the ISL. He won the Golden Boot that season, helping Chennaiyin win the ISL. Following further loans at

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

and

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-larges ...

he signed for

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

in January 2018. Three years later, he returned to the

with

Ceará Ceará (, pronounced locally as or ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the eighth-largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the ...

Club career

Colombia

Born in

Palmira, Valle del Cauca Palmira is a city and municipality in southwestern Colombia in the Valle del Cauca Department, located about east from Cali, the department's capital and main city in the South of Colombia. Palmira is the third largest city in the Valle del Cau ...

, Mendoza began his career at Envigado, making his debut in the

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor (between 2015 and 2019 ''Liga Águila'') due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a Colombian professional league for association football clubs. It is the ...

on 8 August 2010, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat to

Atlético Huila Atlético Huila is a professional Colombian football team based in Neiva, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. The club was founded on November 29, 1990, making it one of the youngest professional football clubs in Colombia. The club' ...

. He made six appearances that season, and three in the following campaign, in addition to a further three in the

2011 Copa Colombia The 2011 Copa Colombia, officially the 2011 Copa Postobón for sponsorship reasons, was the ninth edition of the Copa Colombia, the national cup competition for clubs of DIMAYOR. It began on February 23 and ended on October 27. The winner earned ...

. After loans at América Cali and

, Mendoza signed a two-year contract at

, the club who he supports, on 18 July 2013.

Chennaiyin FC

On 1 October 2014, Mendoza signed for Chennaiyin of the newly founded

. He made his debut for the team, captaincy by

Marco Materazzi Marco Materazzi (; born 19 August 1973) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. Early in his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Everton in the Premier League. He spent two p ...

, two weeks later in a 2–1 away win over

FC Goa Football Club Goa is an Indian professional football club based in Goa, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 26 August 2014. Nicknamed as '' Gaurs'', the club plays their h ...

, replacing

marquee player A marquee player is an athlete who is considered exceptionally popular, skilled, or otherwise outstanding, especially in professional sports. Its name comes from theater marquees, on which the names of the stars of productions in said theater ar ...

Elano Elano Blumer (born 14 June 1981), known as Elano, is a Brazilian football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his accurate passing and precise set pieces, Elano started his senior career at Santos, and sp ...

for the final 23 minutes. On 28 October, he scored his first goals in the league, a first-half brace in a 5–1 rout of

Mumbai City Mumbai City Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded in August 2014, during the inaugural season of ...

at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He added a third on 11 November, equalising for a 1–1 draw at

FC Pune City Football Club Pune City was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra, which last participated in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football league system, under licence from AIFF. The club was founded in ...

, and a fourth eight days later in a 3–1 win over the same opponents. He finished the season with four goals from nine games as Chennaiyin won the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

, but was absent through injury as they were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2014 Indian Super League playoffs by

Kerala Blasters Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established i ...

Corinthians

On 19 December 2014, Mendoza returned to South America, joining Brazil's

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista Sport Club Corinthians Paulista () is a Brazilian sports club based in the Tatuapé district of São Paulo. Although competing in a number of different sports, Corinthians is mostly known for its professional association football team that play ...

on a four-year deal. He made his debut on 8 February 2015 in the Paulista Derby against

Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...

, starting in a 1–0 away win for the season's

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 16 clubs and t ...

. Seventeen days later, he scored his first goal for the ''Timão'', opening a 2–0 win at Clube Atlético Linense, his only goal in seven regular season appearances. On 19 April, in the knock-out stages, he scored in the 2–2 home semi-final draw against Palmeiras, which his team lost in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. Mendoza made his

debut in the first game of the 2015 season, replacing Malcom at the end of a 1–0 win at Cruzeiro on 10 May. He scored once in ten appearances over the campaign, a consolation in a 3–1 loss at Grêmio on 4 June. Corinthians finished the season as national champions.

Loan to Chennaiyin

On 31 August 2015, Mendoza was loaned back to Chennaiyin for the 2015 season. In their opening game, away to

, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory, and five days later he scored both goals in a win over

. His sixth goal of the campaign came on 24 October, assisted by

in a 2–1 home triumph over

Pune City Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

. On 21 November, he recorded his second hat-trick of the campaign, in a 4–1 win over

, and three days later he opened the scoring in a 4–0 home win over

Delhi Dynamos Odisha Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Prior to the inaugural Indian Super League season, the club was founded ...

with his tenth goal of the season. Mendoza scored his eleventh of the season on 1 December, beginning a 3–0 win over Mumbai which ended their chances of the play-offs. On 12 December, in the first leg of the semi-finals, Mendoza concluded a 3–0 home win over reigning champions

Atlético de Kolkata ATK (formerly Atlético de Kolkata) was an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competed in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football and were the league champions during the inaugural 2 ...

(4–2 aggregate). In

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 ...

at Goa eight days later, he won two

penalty kicks A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

; Bruno Pelissari took the first, which was blocked by Laxmikant Kattimani but he scored the rebound, however Mendoza took the second and had it saved. Losing 2–1 with three minutes remaining, Mendoza scored an added-time winner as his team won 3–2. Mendoza was named the Hero of the League and also won the Golden Boot with 13 goals, two more than second-placed

Iain Hume Iain Edward Hume (born 30 October 1983) is a Canadian football manager and former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers in 2000, and six years later moved to Leicester City for an initial £50 ...

Loans to New York City and Bahia

On 8 March 2016, Mendoza moved to the third continent of his career, signing a season-long loan at

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

. He made his debut five days later, playing the final 23 minutes in place of Tony Taylor in a 2–2 draw against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

at the

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

. On 30 April, his eighth game, he scored his first goal for the team to decide a 3–2 home victory within five minutes of replacing

Khiry Shelton Khiry Lamar Shelton (; born June 26, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. He has also represented the United States at the under-18 and under-23 levels. Club career Coll ...

. On 7 June 2017,

Esporte Clube Bahia Esporte Clube Bahia (), known familiarly as Bahia, is a Brazilian professional football club, based in Salvador, capital city of the Brazilian state of Bahia. They play in the Campeonato Baiano, Bahia's state league, and the Campeonato Brasi ...

confirmed the loan of Mendoza for the duration of the

2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was the 61st season of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top level of professional football in Brazil, and the 14th edition in a double round-robin since its establishment in 2003. The season began on ...

. He scored 8 goals in 31 games as the

Salvador Salvador, meaning " salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

-based club came 12th, including two in a 3–0 home win over

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

on 20 August.

Amiens

On 17 January 2018, Mendoza moved to the fourth continent of his career, signing for

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...

club

until 2021. He made his debut that same day, starting in a 1–1 home draw with

Montpellier HSC Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (), commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC or simply Montpellier, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current ...

. He scored twice in 13 games over the remainder of the season, starting with a consolation in a 3–2 loss at

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...

×on 10 February. In the summer of 2019, Mendoza sought a transfer out of France after scoring just 4 times in 41 games for Amiens. His negotiations were abandoned due to two personal crises in his country; he was robbed at gunpoint in

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

on 19 August and his brother was shot dead in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

on 5 September. Twenty days later, he scored in 106 seconds against Bordeaux, and followed it on 28 September by opening a 1–1 draw at

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...

; on 4 October he concluded his club's first-ever win over

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

by making it 3–1. The 2019–20 season was Mendoza's best in France with five goals from 15 games, but his team were relegated. On 5 December 2020, he scored twice in a 2–1

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue ...

win at

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of th ...

Ceará

In late February 2021, Mendoza returned to the Brazilian top flight, signing with

until the end of 2023; the team paid €600,000 for 60% of his economic rights. He made his debut on 20 March in a goalless home draw with rivals

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...

, playing 81 minutes; he scored twice in nine games for the runners-up, in group wins over

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

and Sport Recife at the start of April. On 8 May, his team lost the final on penalties to Bahia, and he was one of five players sent off in a brawl at the end, being suspended for a month. His first national season with the club saw him score once in 28 games – opening a 1–1 draw on his return to Bahia on 27 October. Mendoza was the top scorer of ''Vozão'' during the 2022 season, scoring 22 goals overall, but his team suffered relegation from the top tier.

Santos

On 8 December 2022, Mendoza was announced as the new signing of Santos for the upcoming season, and signed a three-year contract with the club. He made his debut for the club the following 14 January, starting in a 2–1

home win over

Mirassol Mirassol is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northern part of the state, 453 km from the city of São Paulo and 15 km from São José do Rio Preto. Mirassol has 60,303 inhabitants (IBGE/2020). ...

. Mendoza scored his first goal for ''Peixe'' on 28 January 2023, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Ferroviária.

International career

Mendoza represented Colombia at the

2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the thirteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Nigeria from 24 October to 15 November 2009. The tournament was won by Switzerland, beating the host team and holders, Nigeria. The Golden Ball to the Be ...

in Nigeria and the

2011 South American U-20 Championship The 2011 South American Youth Championship ( es, Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-20 “Juventud de America” Perú 2011, pt, Campeonato Sul-Americano Sub-20 “Juventude da America” Peru 2011) was a football competition for U-20 national teams in ...

in Peru. In late October 2019, following good form for Amiens, manager

Carlos Queiroz Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football coach who currently is the head coach of the Iran national team. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirat ...

called up Mendoza for the senior team, for friendlies against neighbours

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 ...

and

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: ' ...

in the United States. His debut was as a 61st-minute substitute for Luis Díaz at the

Hard Rock Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I coll ...

, in a 1–0 win over the former.

Career statistics

Honours

Corinthians *

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

Chennaiyin *

Individual * Indian Super League Hero of the League: 2015 * Indian Super League Golden Boot: 2015

References

External links

* *
ISL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Stiven 1992 births Living people People from Palmira, Valle del Cauca Footballers from Valle del Cauca Department Men's association football forwards Colombian footballers Colombia men's under-20 international footballers Colombia men's youth international footballers Colombia men's international footballers Colombian expatriate footballers Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Colombian expatriate sportspeople in India Colombian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Colombian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in Brazil Expatriate footballers in India Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate soccer players in the United States Chennaiyin FC players Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players Indian Super League players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Envigado F.C. players América de Cali footballers Cúcuta Deportivo footballers Deportivo Cali footballers New York City FC players Esporte Clube Bahia players Amiens SC players Ceará Sporting Club players Santos FC players Categoría Primera A players Categoría Primera B players Major League Soccer players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players