Mauricio Isla facts for kids
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Isla with Chile in 2013
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 June 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buin, Chile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Right back, midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Colo-Colo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Huracán de Maipo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2007 | Universidad Católica | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Udinese | 127 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Juventus | 30 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 26 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Marseille (loan) | 23 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Cagliari | 34 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Fenerbahçe | 68 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Flamengo | 50 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Universidad Católica | 22 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Independiente | 29 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Colo-Colo | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Chile U15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Chile U17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Chile U20 | 16 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007– | Chile | 144 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla (born on June 12, 1988) is a Chilean football player. He is known for playing as a right-back (a defender on the right side) or a midfielder (a player who helps both attack and defend). Currently, he plays for the club Colo-Colo in Chile.
Mauricio Isla started his football journey in the youth teams of Universidad Católica. Later, in 2007, he moved to Italy to play for Udinese, where he began his professional career. His great playing skills led him to join Juventus, a very famous Italian club. There, he helped his team win the league title two times in a row!
He also played on loan for Queens Park Rangers in England and Marseille in France. Mauricio Isla has played over 140 games for the Chile national team since 2007. He has played in two FIFA World Cups and six Copa América tournaments. He helped Chile win the Copa América in 2015 and 2016, which are big achievements for his country!
Contents
Mauricio Isla's Club Career Highlights
Starting His Journey in Chile
Mauricio Isla began playing football as a child with a team called Huracán de Maipo in his hometown of Buin. In 1999, he joined the youth academy of Universidad Católica. He started as a forward, trying to score goals.
However, because he wasn't very tall, he changed his position to a defender. This was a good move because Universidad Católica needed good young defenders. Isla played so well in his new role that he was called up to the main team in 2006. Even though he didn't play an official game then, he kept working hard.
Playing in Italy with Udinese
In 2007, Mauricio Isla had a fantastic performance at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. After this, Udinese, a team in Italy's top league (Serie A), signed him to a five-year contract. He was known for being able to both defend and attack well. He could quickly turn a slow game into a fast counter-attack. His skills were matched by his surprising speed and energy.
Isla played his first professional game for Udinese in December 2007 in the Coppa Italia (an Italian cup competition). In March 2008, he started his first Serie A game. He often played as a "right wing-back," which means he covered the entire right side of the field, helping both defense and offense. In the 2010–11 season, he helped Udinese finish fourth in the league, which allowed them to try and qualify for the UEFA Champions League, a very important European competition.
Joining Juventus: A Dream Come True
On June 15, 2012, Juventus, one of Italy's biggest clubs and the defending Serie A champions, announced that Isla was joining them. Isla said that moving to Juventus was a dream come true for him. He was very excited to play alongside his Chilean teammate, Arturo Vidal.
Isla shared his excitement, saying, "This is a dream come true: We are going to be the strongest team in Italy. It is important for me as a player, but it is also vital for my family. I have been working for years to get to this point. In Udine I became a professional. But I have always said that sooner or later I would go to a bigger club like Juve. There I can challenge for trophies. I want to play and win something important, like the Champions League."
Loan to Queens Park Rangers
In August 2014, Isla moved to Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in England on a loan deal for the Premier League season. He quickly adapted to the English league. He even helped his team get their first win and a "clean sheet" (meaning they didn't let the other team score any goals) of the season.
His national teammate and close friend, Eduardo Vargas, also joined QPR, which helped Isla settle in even more. He showed his skill by assisting a goal against the champions, Manchester City. Isla enjoyed his time in London and wanted to make his move to QPR permanent.
Later Years in Europe and Brazil
After his time at QPR, Isla was loaned to Marseille in France in August 2015. In August 2016, he moved back to Italy to play for Cagliari. He signed a three-year contract with them.
In July 2017, Isla joined Fenerbahçe, a Turkish club, signing another three-year contract.
Playing for Flamengo in Brazil
On August 19, 2020, Isla signed with Flamengo, a big club in Brazil. He made his debut for Flamengo on August 30, 2020. He was even named the best right-back in the league during the 2020 season, as Flamengo won the league title!
Returning Home to Chile and Argentina
In June 2022, Mauricio Isla returned to his home country, Chile, and signed with Universidad Católica, the club where he started his youth career.
After his contract with Universidad Católica ended, Isla moved to Argentina in August 2023. He joined Independiente, where he quickly became an important leader for the team.
Joining Colo-Colo
In the second half of 2024, Isla came back to Chile once more. He signed with Colo-Colo, another major Chilean club. He chose to wear a special jersey number: '2+2'. This was a clever way to wear his favorite number '4', similar to how Iván Zamorano wore '1+8' for Inter Milan to get his favorite number '9'.
Mauricio Isla's International Career
Playing for Chile's Youth Teams
Mauricio Isla represented Chile at different youth levels. He played for the Chile Under-15 team in 2004 and the Chile Under-17 team in 2005.
Shining at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Isla was a key player for the Chile U20 squad in the 2007 South American Youth Championship. His team qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. During this World Cup, Isla became famous worldwide for his amazing skills and ability to play in many different positions.
He was a vital part of the team that finished in third place in the tournament. In a quarter-final game against Nigeria, Isla played as a defender, midfielder, and forward! This was because several of his teammates were injured. The game went into extra time, and Chile scored four goals. Isla scored two of them, one from a penalty kick. After each goal, he dedicated his goals to his grandmother and pregnant aunt. His incredible performance in this tournament led to him being signed by Udinese in Italy, even before he had played a professional game in Chile! This is very rare for a young player.
Playing for the Senior National Team
At just 19 years old, Mauricio Isla was called up to the Chile senior squad by the new coach, Marcelo Bielsa, in September 2007. His first game was a friendly match against Switzerland. He started as a central midfielder. This was actually his professional debut, even before his first game for Udinese.
He continued to play well and earned more call-ups. He played his first World Cup qualification match in March 2009. He was a starter in all four of Chile's games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also played in most matches during the 2011 Copa América and the 2014 World Cup qualification.
At the 2015 Copa América, which was held in Chile, Isla scored the only goal in the 81st minute of the quarter-final game against Uruguay. This goal sent Chile into the semi-finals for the first time since 1999. Chile went on to win the tournament, making history!
How Mauricio Isla Plays
Mauricio Isla is known as a hard-working and skillful player. He is very versatile, meaning he can play in many different positions on the field. He mainly plays on the right side as a "wing-back," which means he covers the entire right flank, helping both in defense and attack.
He can also play in other defensive roles, like a "full-back," or even as a "midfielder" in the center or on the right side. He has also played in roles that are more focused on defending or attacking in the midfield. He is able to do all this because of his great energy, technique, strength, and speed.
Mauricio Isla's Achievements
Club Trophies
- Juventus
- Serie A: 2012–13, 2013–14 (These are the top Italian league titles)
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2013, 2015 (This is a super cup played between the Serie A winner and Coppa Italia winner)
- Flamengo
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2020 (This is the top Brazilian league title)
- Supercopa do Brasil: 2021 (This is the Brazilian Super Cup)
- Campeonato Carioca: 2021 (This is a state league title in Brazil)
International Trophies
- Chile
- Copa América: 2015, 2016 (These are the top football tournaments for South American national teams)
Individual Awards
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2016, 2021 (This means he was chosen as one of the best players in the tournament)
- Bola de Prata: 2020 (This is an award for the best players in the Brazilian league)
See also
In Spanish: Mauricio Isla para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
