| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicolás Rubén Medina | ||
| Date of birth | February 17, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | O'Higgins | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–2001 | Argentinos Juniors | 48 | (1) |
| 2001–2004 | Sunderland AFC | 0 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | → CD Leganés (loan) | 32 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Real Murcia | 20 | (2) |
| 2005 | Rosario Central | 3 | (0) |
| 2006 | Nueva Chicago | 1 | (0) |
| 2007 | Talleres de Córdoba | 9 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | Gimnasia de La Plata | 7 | (0) |
| 2009– | O'Higgins | 14 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2004 | Argentina | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 December 2008. † Appearances (Goals). |
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| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Argentina | ||
| Men's Football | ||
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Team Competition |
Nicolás Rubén Medina (born 17 February 1982 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football who plays for O'Higgins of Chile.
Contents |
Medina started his career for Argentinos Juniors.
In 2001, Medina signed for English FA Premier League team Sunderland A.F.C. for £3.5 million, joining up with Argentinian U-21 colleague Julio Arca. At his signing, manager Peter Reid hailed him as "a complete midfield player" [1]. While Arca had become an instant hit at the Stadium of Light, Medina failed to make it into the first team and spent most of his time at Sunderland in the reserve team. Both fans and the media began to speculate as to why such an expensive signing was not given a chance. This led to popular theories that he was suffering a serious illness, or that he had fallen out with Reid. Neither rumour was proven. Medina briefly courted controversy early in his Sunderland career, after being quoted in an Argentinian newspaper that he was planning to live in Newcastle (home to Newcastle United, Sunderland's fiercest rivals) rather than in the City of Sunderland. The story was picked up and reported by the Daily Mirror. When new Sunderland manager Howard Wilkinson took over at Sunderland, he did what Peter Reid had failed to do and publicly explain why Medina was not being picked for Sunderland, despite playing for the Argentinian national team. In an interview he stated that: "The evidence suggests that Nicolas hasn't got it because the previous manager didn't pick him." [2]
Medina eventually left Sunderland[1] having only played once for the first team; in an FA Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers (he was substituted in this game). He remains the most expensive Sunderland player to never play a first-team league game.
He has returned to Argentina and played for Rosario Central, Club Atlético Nueva Chicago and Talleres de Córdoba and now Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata. 2008 - 2009 CHILE: OHIGGINS. First Division. 2009- 2010 ARGENTINA: TIRO FEDERAL. Second Division. 2010- 2011 MEXICO: REBOCEROS DE LA PIEDAD. Second Division
Nico Medina was part of the gold medal winning Argentine team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and has played for the Argentina national football team.
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's football | ||
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Team |
Medina also holds Italian nationality.
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