Orbelín Pineda


Orbelín Pineda Alvarado is a Mexican professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Liga MX club Cruz Azul.

Club career

Querétaro

Pineda was first called up to the Querétaro senior team on 21 January 2014, for a Copa MX match against Ascenso MX side Club Celaya and made his debut as a 70' substitute for Diego Guastavino in a 1–0 loss. Pineda made his Liga MX debut on 1 August 2014, in a 2–0 victory against Pachuca.

Guadalajara

On 2 December 2015, C.D. Guadalajara announced they had signed Pineda for an undisclosed price on a five-year contract. Pineda made his official debut as a starter on 10 January 2016, against Veracruz. He scored his first goal for the club on 16 January 2016, against Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azul.

Cruz Azul

In December 2018, it was announced Cruz Azul signed Pineda for $12 million. He made his debut with the team on 4 January 2019, in 1–1 draw against Puebla.

International career

Youth

Pineda was called up to the U-20 Mexico national team by manager Sergio Almaguer to take part in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He made his debut in Mexico's opening match as a half-time substitution for José David Ramírez. Mexico went on to lose the game 2–0 to Mali. Pineda started the next two matches for Mexico, but the team finished in 4th place in their group and failed to qualify to the next round.

Senior

Pineda was named in Mexico's provisional squad for Copa América Centenario but was cut from the final squad. He would make his debut with the national team on 6 September 2016 against Honduras during a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match, coming in as a substitute for Jesús Dueñas at the 71st minute, finishing the game at a tie of 0–0. He would score his first goal with the senior national team during the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup on 9 July 2017, in a group stage match against El Salvador, scoring the final goal of a 3–1 win.
In May 2019, Pineda was included in Gerardo Martino's provisional 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster and was subsequently included in the final list. Mexico went on to win the tournament.

Style of play

He is able to play as a deep-lying, roaming or more advanced playmaker, he has regularly played as the more advanced of the two in a 4-2-3-1 formation. A fantastic reader of the game, Pineda can spot incisive through balls and is able to find space on the pitch by moving into the channels between defenders. Former manager Matías Almeyda described Pineda as "one of those players that has to end up in a great European club. He has the talent and the attributes." He is technically sharp, skillful, and with a turn of pace able to burst past opponents but at his short stature, he isn’t the strongest player, although his development may have been held up by the fact he's been moved from an attacking midfielder to the holding role and even on the wing since he debuted in the first division in late 2014.

Personal life

Pineda was born in Mexico City, but he and his family are natives of Coyuca de Catalán, Guerrero. His older brother, Onay Pineda, is also a professional footballer who plays as a right-back.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.9 July 2017Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States3–13–12017 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honours

Club

;Guadalajara
;Cruz Azul
;Mexico