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 | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| 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 | 63 | (8) |
| 2015 | → Whitecaps FC 2 (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2007 | Uruguay U15 | 12 | (10) |
| 2008–2009 | Uruguay U17 | 5 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 27, 2017. | |||
Gabriel Nicolás Mezquida Sero (born January 21, 1992) is a Uruguayan football player who currently plays as a midfielder 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 January 22, 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. He joined Fénix in 2012, scoring one goal in 14 matches for the club. He was loaned out to Rampla Juniors juniors in 2013 and scored seven 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 work permit eligibility issues, since he had not featured for the senior national side of Uruguay.[7]
On February 5, 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 2 "Whitecaps Profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ Nicolás Mezquida at noticiasmanyas.com
- ↑ Walker-Roberts, James. "Schalke Sign Striker Nicolás Mezquida". goal.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ Schalke Sign Striker Nicolás Mezquida
- 1 2 Gunn, David. "Celtic take striker Nicolas Mezquida on trial". scotsman.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ O'Rourke, Pete. "Scottish football: Celtic have taken Uruguayan striker Nicolas Mezquida on trial". Sky Sports. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ Grahame, Ewing. "Teemu Pukki shows Celtic the way forward". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC add Uruguayans Sebastián Fernández and Nicolás Mezquida". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ Tucker, Cam. "Whitecaps acquire pair of players from Uruguay". metronews.ca. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ↑ Schalke 04 verpflichtet zwei Talente