Sebastián Pérez Cardona


Sebastián Pérez Cardona is a Colombian footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Boca Juniors.
He is known for his abilities to react quickly and his skills playing both in a defensive and an attacking role. He was referenced earlier in his career by media abroad his native Colombia as a highly rated top prospect in Colombia.

Club career

Atlético Nacional

On 4 March 2011, Pérez made his official debut for Nacional against Atlético Junior, replacing Macnelly Torres in the 86th minute. He would eventually win the 2011 Torneo Apertura with Los Verdolagas, making him the youngest player to win the honour at age 18. The following year, he was part of the Nacional squad that won both the Copa Colombia and the Superliga Colombiana, thus winning every top tier trophy in Colombia before the age of 20.
Following Colombia's exit from the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he was invited to Arsenal for a trial in August. He came on as a sub in the 67th minute for Arsenal's friendly against Manchester City, wearing the number 32 jersey. Arsenal went on to win the game 3–1. Despite only playing for 26 minutes, Pérez was praised for his natural abilities despite being so young. Arsène Wenger stated that he was impressed with Pérez during the week trial and decided to add him in the game. Despite impressing both the London club and its fans, Pérez was unable to get a work-permit because 'he had yet to play at least 75% of Colombia's international matches'. Thus, he was sent back to Nacional. Despite this, Wenger claimed that he would continue monitoring Perez until an opportunity to sign him comes.
On 27 July 2016, Pérez and Atlético Nacional conquered the 2016 Copa Libertadores. This was his first international title. Before leaving Nacional, Pérez had converted himself into one of the most decorated players in Atlético Nacional's history, achieving ten titles with the club.

Boca Juniors

In 2016, Pérez signed with Argentinian club Boca Juniors. He could not play for the team from April 2017 to January 2018, due to an injury.

International career

Youth

Pérez first represented the U20 Colombian national team in 2011, where he took part in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup that took place in his home land. He was then recalled for the 2013 South American Youth Championship, where Colombia eventually won the championship and qualified for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. There, Pérez would give impressive performances, attracting the likes of top European teams.

Senior

Pérez received his first call-up from the senior Colombian national team under the order of José Pékerman to face Bolivia and Ecuador for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He made his first cap against Bolivia, being included in the initial eleven and played 62 minutes before being replaced by Edwin Cardona. Colombia went on to win in La Paz 2–3. His first international goal came the next qualifying game against Ecuador in Barranquilla. Assisted by Cardona, Pérez scored a pretty, acrobatic goal, in a match that ended 3–1.
In May 2018, he was named in Colombia’s preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he did not make the final cut.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreFinalCompetition
1.29 March 2016Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia
2–0
3–1
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Style of play

Pérez was an amateur footballer, before joining Nacional in 2011, and yet was considered to be a 'pure natural talent' by the Colombian club. Often, he is a well-known versatile player mostly because of his equal footing levels with both left and right feet, as well as carrying 'panoramic vision' as shown through his countering attacking with very accurate passing. Despite committing to a defensive midfielder most of the time, Pérez has shown that he is capable of shooting on-target goals from great distances. He is often regarded very high by many top teams such as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain because of his potential, led to being almost being signed by each respective club at one point.
Pérez also spoke that committing to a defensive midfielder role throughout most of his games, was because of his admiration for Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Andrea Pirlo, that inspired him to make a difference in both defending and attacking. One of the reasons why he is often seen as a crucial player in counter-attacking.

Personal life

Pérez married Manuela Restrepo in 2015. In July 2016, the couple had their first child, a son. In 2017, Pérez became a vegan for ethical reasons.

Career statistics

Club

;Notes

Honours

Club

Atlético Nacional
Boca Juniors
;Colombia