Gary Medel

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Medel and the second or maternal family name is Soto.
Gary Medel

Medel playing for Chile in 2013
Personal information
Full name Gary Alexis Medel Soto
Date of birth (1987-08-03) 3 August 1987
Place of birth Santiago, Chile
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position Defensive midfielder / Defender
Club information
Current team
 Internazionale
Number 17
Youth career
1997–2005 Universidad Católica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2009 Universidad Católica 68 (10)
2009–2011 Boca Juniors 46 (7)
2011–2013 Sevilla 78 (8)
2013–2014 Cardiff City 34 (0)
2014– Internazionale 74 (1)
National team‡
2007 Chile U20 15 (0)
2008 Chile U23 8 (0)
2007– Chile 95 (7)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 October 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 June 2016

Gary Alexis Medel Soto (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡaɾi meˈðel]; born 3 August 1987) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays for Italian club Internazionale as a defensive midfielder, although he can also play as a defender. Due to his work-rate, physicality, and his aggressive, hard-tackling style of play, he is nicknamed as the Pitbull.[2][3]

A full international with over 90 caps since 2007 for the Chile national team, he has represented the nation at two FIFA World Cups and as many Copa América tournaments, winning the 2015 Copa América (while being named in the Team of the tournament)[4] and the Copa América Centenario.

Club career

Early career

Medel joined Universidad Católica at the age of 12. His youth team coach Mario Lepe put his name forward to join the senior ranks.[2]

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 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, Martín Palermo and Sebastián Battaglia. He is my idol and has me very happy to play by his side".[5] Medel scored both goals in a 2–0 win in the Superclásico against River Plate on 25 March 2010.[6]

Before he joined Sevilla, Boca organised a farewell match for him, a friendly against River in Mar del Plata. He came on in the 77th minute of the 2–0 win.[7]

Sevilla

Medel playing for Sevilla in 2011.

Medel joined Sevilla for €3 million on 28 January 2011, on a 4½-year contract, on the same day as the club also signed Ivan Rakitić 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".[8]

On 12 February, he made his La Liga debut, playing all 90 minutes of a 2–3 away defeat at Racing Santander.[9] He helped Sevilla to a 1–1 draw against FC Barcelona at home on 12 March, clearing the ball off the line twice, the second on an attempt by Lionel Messi.[10]

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.[11][12] He made his debut for the club on 17 August, in a 2-0 defeat against West Ham United.[13] He made his home debut at the Cardiff City Stadium on 25 August, in a 3-2 win against Manchester City. Medel played all 90 minutes and received the fans' man of the match award.[14]

Internazionale

After Cardiff's relegation, Medel joined Italian club Inter for a £10 million fee on 9 August 2014.[15] The fee, which was £1 million less than what Cardiff had signed Medel for, was criticised by former striker Nathan Blake,[16] but was justified by Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.[17] Medel made his Serie A debut for Inter on 31 August as they began the season with a goalless draw at Torino, playing the full 90 minutes.[18]

On 31 October 2015, Medel scored his first goal for Inter to give the Nerazzurri a 1–0 victory over Scudetto rivals Roma at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.[19]

On 20 November 2016, in the Derby della Madonnina against cross-town rivals Milan, Medel played as centre-back for 37 minutes before replaced by Jeison Murillo due to a knee injury.[20] Following the match, which ended in a 2–2 draw,[21] it was confirmed that Medel had damaged his lateral meniscus and would be sidelined until January 2017.[22][23]

International career

U20 and early senior career

In March 2007, Medel made his international debut for Chile in a friendly against Argentina. Later that year, he played a key role in Chile's third-place finish in the U-20 World Cup held in Canada. He was sent off in the semi-final match against Argentina, when he kicked Gabriel Mercado in the 24th minute and was suspended for the third-place play-off. Medel claimed that he was tasered by police after the match.[3]

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 in La Paz, scoring both goals, the first being a bicycle kick.[3] Medel played an important role in Chile's qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, playing as a central defender or right back. He started in the three group-stage matches at the World Cup finals in South Africa, but was suspended for the round of 16 match against Brazil, where la Roja were eliminated.

He was named in Chile's squad for the 2011 Copa América, featuring in all three group matches, the first two as a starter. In the quarter-final match against Venezuela in San Juan, Argentina, he was sent off for handball and Chile lost 2–1.[24]

World Cup 2014

Medel in action against Neymar of Brazil at World Cup 2014.

He played a key role in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, scoring the goal that secured qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, heading a goal against Ecuador. Medel captained Chile in a 1–0 friendly defeat to Germany on 5 March 2014.[25] He was one of 23 players who were called up by coach Jorge Sampaoli to play in 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[26] Medel played as a starter alongside Gonzalo Jara in the center of defence, for Chile who beat Australia 3–1 in Cuiabá to get first three points of the World Cup campaign.[27] He also played a full 90 minutes in second match against current world champions Spain, with Chile getting a historic 2–0 win.[28] 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 champions to be knocked out in the group stage, and the first since 1950 to be eliminated after only two games (Italy were drawn into a three-team group and only played two games in 1950).[29] Medel played 90 minutes in the final group match against the Netherlands who won 2–0 and won the group, while Chile finished Group B as runner-up with six points.[30] Chile were eliminated in the round of 16 against the same team that eliminated them in last tournament, Brazil, but this time, Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals by winning on penalty shootout.[31][32][33]

2015 Copa América

At the 2015 Copa América, 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 winners.[34] In the semi-final against Peru, he scored an own goal from Luis Advíncula's cross to equalise, but Chile advanced to the final winning 2–1.[35] In the final against Argentina, 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.[36] Medel became the fourth most capped player with 80 matches, equaling his defence partner Gonzalo Jara. That was Medel's first major trophy with Chile.[37] For his performances he was named in the Team of the tournament.[4]

Career statistics

Club

As of 17 May 2016[38]
Club Season Division League Cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Universidad Católica 2008Primera División2840000284
2009131006[lower-alpha 1]0191
Total 4150060475
Boca Juniors2009–10Primera División297002[lower-alpha 2]0317
2010–111700000170
Total 4670020487
Sevilla2010–11La Liga150102[lower-alpha 3]0180
2011–12312402[lower-alpha 4]0372
2012–1332671—397
Total 78812140949
Cardiff City2013–14Premier League34010—350
Total 34010—350
Internazionale2014–15Serie A350207[lower-alpha 4]0440
2015–16Serie A3014000341
Total 6516070781
Career Total 2642119119030122
  1. ↑ All appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  2. ↑ All appearances in Copa Libertadores
  3. ↑ All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. 1 2 All appearances in Europa League

    International goals

    Scores and results list Chile's goal tally first[39]

    # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
    1. 15 June 2008 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia  Bolivia 1–0 2–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
    2. 2–0
    3. 29 May 2009 Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba, Japan  Belgium 1–1 1–1 2009 Kirin Cup
    4. 11 October 2011 Estadio Monumental, Santiago, Chile  Peru 3–0 4–2 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
    5. 15 October 2013 Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile  Ecuador 2–0 2–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
    6. 10 October 2014 Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaíso, Chile  Peru 2–0 3–0 Friendly
    7. 19 June 2015 Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile  Bolivia 4–0 5–0 2015 Copa América

    Honours

    International

    Chile

    Individual

    References

    1. ↑ F.C. Inter Player Profiles: Gary Medel
    2. 1 2 Salazar, Leonardo (16 June 2008). "En Católica no es sorpresa lo de Gary Medel [At Católica it's not a surprise how Gary Medel is]". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    3. 1 2 3 McNeice, Angus (3 June 2014). "Meet Chile's 'Pitbull' -- hard-tackling midfielder Gary Medel". ESPN. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
    4. 1 2 3 "Copa América 2015 - Team of the tournament". CONMEBOL. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
    5. ↑ "Se concretó el traspaso de Gary Medel a Boca Juniors [Transfer of Gary Medel to Boca Juniors is confirmed]". La Tercera. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    6. ↑ "Un Pitbull Matador [A Killer Pitbull]". Olé. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    7. ↑ "Boca derrota a River en la despedida de Gary Medel [Boca defeat River in Gary Medel's farewell]". La Tercera. 23 January 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    8. ↑ "El Sevilla ficha de una tacada a Medel y Rakitic [Sevilla sign Medel and Rakitic for peanuts]". Marca (in Spanish). 28 January 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    9. ↑ Ormazabal, Rafael. "Sevilla cayó ante Racing en debut como titular de Gary Medel [Sevilla fall to Racing in Gary Medel's debut as a starter]". CDF (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    10. ↑ "Gary Medel fue clave en sufrido empate de Sevilla ante FC Barcelona [Gary Medel was key in getting Sevilla a draw against FC Barcelona]". Diario Cooperativo (in Spanish). 13 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
    11. ↑ "Cardiff sign Medel in record deal worth 11m British pounds".
    12. ↑ Denham, Mark. "The Bluebirds break their transfer record for a third time this summer". Newspaper. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
    13. ↑ "West Ham 2-0 Cardiff" BBC Sport. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
    14. ↑ "Cardiff City 3-2 Manchester City". BBC SPORT. 25 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013..
    15. ↑ "Inter Milan: Cardiff City's Gary Medel joins club for £10m". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014.
    16. ↑ "Cardiff City 'crazy' to accept £10m Inter Milan fee for Medel - Blake". BBC Sport. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    17. ↑ "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Cardiff City had 'fair price' for Gary Medel". BBC Sport. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    18. ↑ "Torino 0-0 Inter: Vidic sees red as Mazzarri's men are held". Goal.com. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
    19. ↑ "Inter Milan 1-0 Roma". BBC. 31 October 2015.
    20. ↑ "Analysis: Inter have found the answer at centre-back in Gary Medel". Calcio Mercato. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
    21. ↑ Jonathan Spencer (21 November 2016). "AC Milan 2-2 Inter Milan: Ivan Perisic scores dramatic late equaliser in Derby della Madonnina". DailyMail. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
    22. ↑ Geoffrey Dore (22 November 2016). "Gary Medel set for two-month injury lay-off". All Sports News. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
    23. ↑ "Inter midfielder out for several weeks with knee injury". Pulse.ng. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
    24. ↑ Arellano, Francisco (17 July 2011). "Chile quedó fuera de la Copa América tras caer ante Venezuela" [Chile go out of the Copa América after falling to Venezuela] (in Spanish). Red Gol. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
    25. ↑ International Round-Up
    26. ↑ "Nomina de 23 jugadores convocados a la Copa Mundial De La FIFA Brasil 2014". anfp.cl. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
    27. ↑ "Chile 3-1 Australia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
    28. ↑ "Spain 0 Chile 2". BBC Sport. 18 June 2014.
    29. ↑ "Taxi for tiki-taka! Spain become the fifth World Cup holders to crash out in the group stage after Brazil, France and Italy (twice)". Daily Mail. 18 June 2014.
    30. ↑ "Netherlands 2 Chile 0". BBC Sport. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
    31. ↑ "Brazil progress as Chile pay penalty". ESPN. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
    32. ↑ "Brazil 1 Chile 1 (Brazil win 3-2 on penalties)". BBC Sport. 28 June 2014.
    33. ↑ "Brazil through as Chile pay the penalty". FIFA.com (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Retrieved 28 June 2014.
    34. ↑ "Chile 5-0 Bolivia". BBC. 19 June 2015.
    35. ↑ "Vargas double takes hosts Chile into Copa América final". The Guardian. Reuters. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
    36. ↑ "Argentina 0-0 Chile (1-4 on pens)". CNN.com. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
    37. ↑ "Copa America 2015: Chile wins first major honor after shootout drama". CNN.com. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
    38. ↑ Gary Medel profile at Soccerway
    39. ↑ "Gary Medel". National Football Teams. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
    40. ↑ "Chile's long wait for Copa América glory over as Argentina pay the penalty". 2015 Copa América. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
    41. ↑ nacion.cl - Gary Medel fue elegido el mejor futbolista del año
    42. ↑ Gary Medel fue el mejor del 2008. Fuente: lacatolica.cl Consultado el 14 de enero de 2010.
    43. ↑ Portal de Registro y Autentificación El Mercurio
    44. ↑ Gary Medel también está en el 'equipo ideal' de América | FÚTBOL | latercera.com
    45. ↑ "Copa América 2016: Awards". Copa America Organisation. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
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