Jesús Medina facts for kids
Medina with CSKA Moscow in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jesús Manuel Medina Maldonado | ||
| Date of birth | 30 April 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Asunción, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.79 m | ||
| Playing position | Winger, Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Spartak Moscow | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2016 | Libertad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012–2017 | Libertad | 74 | (17) |
| 2018–2021 | New York City FC | 101 | (23) |
| 2022–2023 | CSKA Moscow | 35 | (9) |
| 2023– | Spartak Moscow | 38 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2013 | Paraguay U17 | 15 | (7) |
| 2015–2017 | Paraguay U20 | 11 | (4) |
| 2017– | Paraguay | 9 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Jesús Manuel Medina Maldonado (born on April 30, 1997) is a professional footballer from Paraguay. He plays as a winger or attacking midfielder. Currently, he plays for the Russian club Spartak Moscow and the Paraguay national team.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Jesús Medina started his professional football journey at a young age. He made his first team debut for Libertad in Paraguay when he was just 15 years old. This happened on July 7, 2012, in a match where his team won 1–0.
Time in Major League Soccer
On December 31, 2017, it was announced that Medina would join New York City FC. This team plays in Major League Soccer (MLS), which is the top football league in the United States and Canada. He played more than 100 games for New York City FC. After the 2021 season, the club decided not to extend his contract.
Moving to Russia
On January 17, 2022, Medina signed a contract with CSKA Moscow. This club is part of the Russian Premier League (RPL), Russia's highest football league. His contract was set to last until the end of the 2024–25 season.
In July 2023, there were many news reports about Medina moving to Spartak Moscow. This transfer caused a lot of talk because CSKA and Spartak are big rivals in Moscow. On July 10, 2023, Spartak officially announced that Medina had joined them. He signed a three-year contract.
Medina made an amazing start at Spartak Moscow. On August 5, 2023, he scored a goal within the first 40 seconds of coming on as a substitute. This happened in a game they won 4–1 against Rubin Kazan. This goal was the fastest ever scored by a player making their debut in the Russian Premier League!
Playing for His Country
Jesús Medina has represented Paraguay at different levels of international football.
Paraguay Youth Teams
Medina was part of the Paraguay U17 squad. He played in the 2013 South American Under-17 Football Championship, which is a big tournament for young players in South America. He scored four goals in this competition.
He also played for the Paraguay U20 squad. He took part in the South American Youth Football Championship (also known as the CONMEBOL U-20 Championship) in both 2015 and 2017. In the 2015 tournament, he scored a goal against Bolivia U20. In the 2017 tournament, he scored two goals in a game against Brazil U20.
Paraguay Senior Team
Medina was chosen for the senior team's first squad for the Copa América Centenario tournament. However, he was not part of the final team. On July 1, 2017, Medina played his first game for the senior Paraguay team. It was a friendly match against Mexico, where he came on as a substitute late in the game.
Personal Life
In February 2019, Jesús Medina received a U.S. green card. This meant he was considered a "domestic player" for MLS teams. This is important because MLS teams have rules about how many international players they can have.
Honours
Jesús Medina has won some important trophies with his clubs:
New York City FC
- MLS Cup: 2021 (This is the championship trophy for Major League Soccer)
CSKA Moscow
- Russian Cup: 2022–23 (This is a major cup competition in Russian football)
See also
In Spanish: Jesús Medina para niños
- Players and Records in Paraguayan Football
