Nicolás Mezquida
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gabriel Nicolás Mezquida Sero | ||
| Date of birth | January 21, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Paysandú, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker, attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Number | 29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006-2008 | Peñarol | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008-2012 | Peñarol | 3 | (1) |
| 2011 | → Brann (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Lillestrøm (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2012-2013 | Fénix | 14 | (1) |
| 2013 | → Rampla Juniors (loan) | 24 | (7) |
| 2013-2014 | Boston River | 0 | (0) |
| 2014- | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2004-2007 | Uruguay U-15 | 12 | (10) |
| 2008-2009 | Uruguay U-17 | 5 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 September 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Gabriel Nicolás Mezquida Sero (born January 21, 1992) is a Uruguayan football player who currently plays as a striker for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer.
Career
Mezquida began his career in the youth academy of C.A. Peñarol in 2006,[1] before being promoted to the first team in the 2008 season.[2] On 22 January 2009, at the age of 17, he signed a pre-contract with FC Schalke 04 worth a reported €2 million with the intent of joining the club at the end of the year.[3] [4] However, he changed his mind and decided to remain with C.A. Peñarol in South America.[5] During his time with Peñarol, he had two loan spells with Norwegian clubs Brann and Lillestrøm. In 2012 he joined Fénix scoring 1 goal in 14 matches for the club. He was loaned out to Rampla Juniors juniors in 2013 and scored 7 goals in 24 matches for the club.[1]
In September 2013, after leaving Fenix,[6] Mezquida went on trial with Celtic of the Scottish Premiership but was ultimately not signed,[5] potentially because of issues around acquiring a work permit since he had not featured for the senior national side of Uruguay.[7]
On 5 February 2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer announced that they had signed Mezquida along with fellow-Uruguayan Sebastián Fernández[8] on a transfer from Boston River of the Uruguayan Segunda División where he had been playing since leaving Fenix.[9]
International career
Mezquida excelled whilst playing for Uruguay U-15 and was the top goal scorer at the 2007 South American Under-15 Football Championship, helping them finish as runners-up. Mezquida also played for the U-17 team at the international level.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Whitecaps Profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Nicolás Mezquida at noticiasmanyas.com
- ↑ Walker-Roberts, James. "Schalke Sign Striker Nicolás Mezquida". goal.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Schalke Sign Striker Nicolás Mezquida
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gunn, David. "Celtic take striker Nicolas Mezquida on trial". scotsman.com. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ O'Rourke, Pete. "Scottish football: Celtic have taken Uruguayan striker Nicolas Mezquida on trial". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Grahame, Ewing. "Teemu Pukki shows Celtic the way forward". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC add Uruguayans Sebastián Fernández and Nicolás Mezquida". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Tucker, Cam. "Whitecaps acquire pair of players from Uruguay". metronews.ca. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Schalke 04 verpflichtet zwei Talente
External links
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