Cristian Nicolás Medina (born 1 June 2002) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Boca Juniors.[5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Nicolás Medina | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-06-01) 1 June 2002 (age 19) | ||
| Place of birth | Moreno, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1][2] | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder[2][3][4] | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Boca Juniors | ||
| Number | 36 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rayo de Malaver | |||
| 2012–2020 | Boca Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020– | Boca Juniors | 40 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2017 | Argentina U15 | ||
| 2018–2019 | Argentina U17 | 10 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:12, 23 May 2022 (UTC) | |||
Medina came through the youth ranks at Rayo de Malaver, before moving to Boca Juniors in November 2012.[6] He remained in their youth system across the next eight years, with the midfielder notably scoring a rabona goal in an academy Superclásico versus River Plate in April 2018.[6][7] Medina was promoted into the first-team in mid-2020, as he appeared on the substitute's bench six times under manager Miguel Ángel Russo.[5] His senior debut would arrive on 14 February 2021 in the Copa de la Liga Profesional against Gimnasia y Esgrima, as he replaced Leonardo Jara with twenty minutes remaining at La Bombonera.[5]
Medina was part of Argentina's U15 squad that won the 2017 South American Championship under manager Diego Placente on home soil, as they defeated Brazil in the final.[6][8] Two years later, Medina was selected by Pablo Aimar's U17s for the 2019 South American Championship in Peru and the 2019 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[2][9] He scored once, versus Paraguay, in seven matches as they won the former competition, prior to featuring three times at the latter; as they reached the round of sixteen.[5]
Medina is primarily a central midfielder, though is capable of playing in various positions across the midfield.[2][3][4] He was dubbed the next Fernando Gago by some Argentine media.[2][6][8][10][11]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boca Juniors | 2020–21[nb 1] | Primera División | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021[nb 2] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
Boca Juniors
Argentina U15[8]
Argentina U17[5]
Boca Juniors – current squad | |
|---|---|
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