Davinson Sánchez Mina (born 12 June 1996) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Colombia national team.

Davinson Sánchez
Sánchez with Colombia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Davinson Sánchez Mina[1]
Date of birth (1996-06-12) 12 June 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Caloto, Colombia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Galatasaray
Number 6
Youth career
2 Atlético Nacional
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Atlético Nacional 26 (0)
2016–2017 Ajax 32 (6)
2017–2023 Tottenham Hotspur 143 (3)
2023– Galatasaray 31 (4)
International career
2013 Colombia U17 2 (0)
2014–2015 Colombia U20 14 (0)
2016 Colombia Olympic 2 (0)
2016– Colombia 68 (3)
Medal record
Representing  Colombia
Men's football
Copa América
Runner-up 2024 United States
Third place 2021 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024

Sánchez relocated to Medellín and made his professional debut for Atlético Nacional in 2013; collectively, he achieved four domestic league titles, two Copa Colombia's, a Superliga Colombiana, and a Copa Libertadores during his time with Nacional. Sánchez made the leap to European football in 2016, joining Eredivisie side AFC Ajax. In his first season with the club, he won the Ajax Player of the Year Award and reached the 2017 UEFA Europa League final. Sánchez became Tottenham Hotspur's club-record signing in 2017, costing them around £42 million, a record that was topped by Tanguy Ndombélé who signed for Spurs in 2019. In September 2023, Sánchez transferred to Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray for a fee of €9.5 million.

At youth level, Sánchez represented Colombia at the 2013 South American U-17 Championship and was part of the Colombia squads that participated at the 2015 South American U-20 Championship and the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, respectively. He made his senior debut for Colombia in 2016 and has represented the nation at three editions of the Copa América, as well as at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

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Atlético Nacional

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As a youth, Sánchez played in the youth academy of América de Cali, but after his parents moved, he was transferred to Atlético Nacional, where he was educated under the wings of Juan Carlos Osorio.[4] The defender made his debut for the senior team on 27 October 2013, in a 0–1 loss to Boyacá Chicó. Osorio put the player in the starting lineup and he completed the entire match.[5]

On 2 March 2016, Sánchez scored his first goal for Nacional in a 3–0 victory over Sporting Cristal from Peru in the Copa Libertadores.[6] Due to his performances for Nacional, foreign clubs including Barcelona, Flamengo, and Ajax showed an interest in signing the player.[7][8] Barcelona made a formal offer to sign the player, but Sánchez declined the offer because he didn't want to start in FC Barcelona B, the reserve team.[9] He won the Copa Libertadores 2016 against Ecuadorian Independiente del Valle.[10]

Ajax

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In June 2016, Sánchez signed a five-year contract with Dutch side Ajax, until 2021.[11] The club paid a transfer fee of €5 million to Atlético Nacional.[12] A few days earlier, Ajax had signed Sánchez's compatriot Mateo Cassierra, thus making him the second Colombian in the squad. Sánchez joined Ajax after Nacional had finished its participation in the Copa Libertadores.[13] Sánchez's Ajax debut on 13 August ended in a 2–2 tie with Roda JC Kerkrade in which he started and played the 90 minutes. His first goal with the club was on 24 September against PEC Zwolle. On 8 May 2017, he was named as the best player of the season for Ajax.[14]

Tottenham Hotspur

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On 18 August 2017, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had agreed a move for Sánchez signing a six-year contract subject to a work permit, for a reported transfer fee of up to £42 million.[15] He made his debut on 27 August as a substitute for Mousa Dembélé in the 92nd minute in a 1–1 draw with Burnley.[16]

In May 2018, Sánchez signed a new contract with Tottenham, keeping him at the club until 2024.[17] Sánchez scored his first goal for Tottenham in the Premier League game against in the February 2019 match against Leicester City.[18]

In February 2021, Sánchez scored twice, his first goals in two years, in the 2020–21 FA Cup fifth round match against Everton that eventually ended in a 5–4 loss for Tottenham after extra time.[19]

Galatasaray

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On 4 September 2023, Sánchez joined Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray for a transfer fee of €9.5m.[20]

International career

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Youth teams

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In November 2011, Sánchez was called up to dispute the 2011 South American U-15 Championship, where his team finished as runner-up behind Brazil; Sánchez was appointed as his team's captain for the tournament.[21][22]

Sánchez represented Colombia U-17 side at the 2013 South American U-17 Championship, where he appeared twice in the group stage.[23]

On 6 January 2015, he was included in Carlos Restrepo's 23-man list for the 2015 South American U-20 Championship, where Colombia secured qualification to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the Olympic play-off for Rio 2016 after finishing runner-up.[24] On 6 May, Sánchez was named in Colombia final 23-man team for the U-20 World Cup, where his team exited the tournament in the round of 16 after falling to the United States.[25]

Despite not disputing the Olympics, Sánchez appeared in both legs for the play-off series against the United States, in which Colombia qualified to the Olympics for the first team since Barcelona 1992 after finishing the series 3–2 on aggregate.[26][27]

Senior team

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Colombia manager José Pékerman called up Sánchez for a training squad with the senior Colombia squad in February 2016.[28] On 26 August 2022, he was named in Colombia's squad for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Brazil.[29] On 19 November, Sánchez made his debut against Argentina.[30]

On May 2018, he was named in Colombia's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[31] In June 2018, he was named in Colombia's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[32] He played in all three group matches and their round of 16 match against England.[33]

On June 2019, he started in three of the four games at the 2019 Copa América, helped the team keep a clean sheet and beat Argentina for the first time in 12 years.[34] The team however lost in the quarter-final against Chile after a penalty shoot-out.[35]

On 10 June 2021, Sánchez was included in Reinaldo Rueda's 23-man squad for the 2021 Copa América in Brazil.[36] He featured in all of Colombia's matches as the team secured bronze after defeating Peru 3–2 for the third-place playoff.[37]

On 19 November 2022, Sánchez scored his first international goal in a 2–0 friendly win against Paraguay.[38]

On 14 June 2024, Sánchez was named into 26-man squad for the 2024 Copa América.[39] During the competition, Sánchez played every single match in the competition, and helped the team to get into a Copa América final after 23 years, scoring a single goal, but being essential in the tournament.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 28 November 2024[40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Atlético Nacional 2013 Categoría Primera A 3 0 0 0 3 0
2014 Categoría Primera A 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2015 Categoría Primera A 7 0 1 0 0 0 8 0
2016 Categoría Primera A 14 0 0 0 14[a] 1 2[b] 0 30 1
Total 26 0 3 0 14 1 2 0 45 1
Jong Ajax 2016–17 Eerste Divisie 1 0 1 0
Ajax 2016–17 Eredivisie 32 6 0 0 12[c] 0 0 0 44 6
2017–18 Eredivisie 0 0 0 0 2[d] 1 0 0 2 1
Total 32 6 0 0 14 1 0 0 46 7
Tottenham Hotspur 2017–18 Premier League 31 0 2 0 0 0 8[d] 0 41 0
2018–19 Premier League 23 1 2 0 4 0 8[d] 0 37 1
2019–20 Premier League 29 0 4 0 1 0 5[d] 0 39 0
2020–21 Premier League 18 0 2 2 2 0 10[c] 0 32 2
2021–22 Premier League 23 2 1 0 5 0 3[e] 0 32 2
2022–23 Premier League 18 0 3 0 1 0 2[d] 0 24 0
2023–24 Premier League 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
Total 143 3 14 2 14 0 36 0 207 5
Galatasaray 2023–24 Süper Lig 23 2 3 1 6[f] 0 0 0 32 3
2024–25 Süper Lig 8 2 0 0 5[c] 0 0 0 13 2
Total 31 4 3 1 11 0 0 0 45 5
Career total 233 13 20 3 14 0 75 2 2 0 344 18
  1. ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  2. ^ Appearances in Superliga Colombiana
  3. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 19 November 2024[41]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Colombia 2016 1 0
2017 6 0
2018 10 0
2019 12 0
2020 3 0
2021 13 0
2022 6 1
2023 7 0
2024 10 2
Total 68 3
Scores and results list Colombia'a goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sánchez goal.[41]
List of international goals scored by Davinson Sánchez
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 19 November 2022 DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States   Paraguay 1–0 2–0 Friendly
2 28 June 2024 State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States   Costa Rica 2–0 3–0 2024 Copa América
3 15 October 2024 Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia   Chile 1–0 4–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Atlético Nacional[42]

Galatasaray

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Davinson Sanchez". L'Équipe. Paris. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Davinson Sánchez: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. ^ "No hay título que se le resista a Davinson Sánchez". Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. 16 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Atlético Nacional vs. Boyacá Chicó". Soccerway. 27 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Atlético Nacional vs. Sporting Cristal". Soccerway. 2 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Mercado da bola 2016: Flamengo espera anunciar dois zagueiros e um atacante nesta semana" (in Portuguese). Torcedores. 24 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Colombiaanse centrale verdediger tekent bij Ajax in plaats van FC Barcelona" (in Dutch). SoccerNews.nl. 1 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Barcelona loopt blauwtje: 'Hij heeft daar geen enkele zekerheid" (in Dutch). Voetbalzone. 27 May 2016.
  10. ^ "La extraordinaria carrera de Davinson Sánchez: Mundialista, campeón de Copa Libertadores y finalista de Europa League y de la Champions League". 9 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Ajax contracteert Davinson Sánchez Mina" (in Dutch). Ajax. 21 June 2016.
  12. ^ "Ajax heeft tweede Colombiaanse aanwinst binnen". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 19 June 2016. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Oficial: Atlético Nacional cede a Davinson Sánchez al Ajax, pero jugará Copa Libertadores" (in Spanish). HSB Noticias. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Colombia's Davinson Sanchez 'player of the year' after 1st year at Dutch giants Ajax". 8 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Davinson Sanchez: Tottenham complete signing of Ajax defender on six-year deal". BBC Sport. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 1 Burnley". BBC Sport. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Davinson signs new contract". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  18. ^ Wilson, Jeremy; Tweedale, Alistair (10 February 2019). "Spurs hold on to beat profligate Leicester after Jamie Vardy misses penalty with first touch". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  19. ^ Hunter, Andy (10 February 2021). "Bernard strike sinks Spurs in extra time as Everton edge FA Cup thriller". The Guardian.
  20. ^ "Davinson Sanchez Mina Galatasaray'da!". Galatasaray S.K. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Colombia inicia su participación en Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-15 – Federación colombiana de fútbol".
  22. ^ "Duelo de líderes e invictos en Sudamericano Sub-15 – Federación colombiana de fútbol".
  23. ^ "Definida convocatoria de la selección Colombia Sub-17". 28 March 2013.
  24. ^ "Colombia Sub 20 definió su nómina para el Sudamericano de Uruguay | Win Sports". Archived from the original on 7 January 2015.
  25. ^ "Santos Borré encabeza los convocados al Mundial Sub 20". 11 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Colombia U-23 1, US U-23 1 | Olympic Qualifying Playoff Match Recap | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Colombia ends U.S. Olympic dreams 2-1; Yanks finish with 9 men". 30 March 2016.
  28. ^ "Pekerman calls-up local players with a view to WC qualifying". oximity.com. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  29. ^ "James encabeza la convocatoria de Colombia ante Venezuela y Brasil". 27 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Argentina vs. Colombia - Football Match Summary - November 15, 2016 - ESPN".
  31. ^ "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – Final 23-man lists | Goal.com". Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  32. ^ "Colombia name World Cup squad". ESPN. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  33. ^ "Colombia Results – 2018–19 | ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  34. ^ Callaghan, Shane (16 June 2019). "'Immense': Tottenham fans react to Davinson Sanchez 'masterclass'". HITC.
  35. ^ Agence France-Presse (29 June 2019). "Alexis Sanchez scores winning penalty as Chile beat Colombia to reach Copa America semi-finals". The National.
  36. ^ "Convocatoria Colombia Copa América: Entran Lucumí, Otero y Chará". AS Colombia. 10 June 2021.
  37. ^ "Colombia beat Peru 3-2 in the third-place match at Copa America". 10 July 2021.
  38. ^ "Colombia invicta en era Lorenzo: Reviva el triunfo 2-0 vs Paraguay".
  39. ^ "Convocatoria de la Selección Masculina de Mayores para la CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024". Federación Colombiana de Futbol (in Spanish). 14 June 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  40. ^ "Davinson Sánchez profile". Soccerway.
  41. ^ a b "Sánchez, Davinson". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  42. ^ "Davinson Sánchez – Career Honours". Soccerway.
  43. ^ "Bosz genomineerd voor Rinus Michels Award". Ajaxshowtime.com. 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  44. ^ "The CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ Best XI". Copa América. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
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