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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right back, midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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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 | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Chile U15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Chile U17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Chile U20 | 16 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007– | Chile | 145 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 February 2025 |
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Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla (born on June 12, 1988) is a Chilean professional footballer. He plays as a right-back (a defender on the right side) or a midfielder (a player who controls the middle of the field). Currently, he plays for the Chilean Primera División club Colo-Colo.
Isla began his football journey in the youth teams of Universidad Católica. In 2007, he moved to the Italian club Udinese and started his professional career there. His great playing led him to join Serie A champions Juventus. He won two league titles in a row with Juventus. Later, Isla played on loan for English team Queens Park Rangers in 2014. He also spent time on loan with French club Marseille.
Mauricio Isla has played over 140 games for the Chile national team since 2007. He represented Chile in two FIFA World Cups (in 2010 and 2014). He also played in six Copa América tournaments. He helped Chile win the Copa América in 2015 and 2016.
Contents
Mauricio Isla's Club Journey
Starting Out in Chile
As a child, Mauricio Isla played for a team called Huracán de Maipo in his hometown of Buin. In 1999, he joined the youth teams of Universidad Católica. He started as a forward, trying to score goals.
However, because he wasn't very tall, he changed positions to become a defender. 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. But he didn't play any official games then. In 2007, his coach sent him back to the youth team.
Playing in Italy with Udinese
In the summer of 2007, Isla played very well in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. After this, he signed a five-year contract with Udinese, a club in Italy's top league, Serie A. Isla is known for being able to defend and attack. He can quickly change a slow game into a fast counter-attack. He has good skills, surprising speed, and lots of energy.
Isla played his first professional game on December 19, 2007, in the Coppa Italia cup. On March 8, 2008, he started his first game in Serie A. After another player left, Isla often played as a right wing-back. This means he played on the right side, helping both in defense and attack. He helped Udinese finish fourth in the 2010–11 season. This allowed them to try and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Joining Juventus
On June 15, 2012, Juventus announced that Isla was joining them for the 2012–13 season. Isla said that moving to Juventus was a dream come true for him. He was excited to play with his Chilean teammate Arturo Vidal. He mentioned that he had worked for years to reach a big club like Juventus. He wanted to win important trophies, like the Champions League.
Loan to Queens Park Rangers
On August 6, 2014, Isla joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on loan for the 2014–15 season. QPR is an English club in the Premier League. He played his first game for QPR against Tottenham Hotspur.
He played his first home game against Sunderland. He quickly got used to playing in the Premier League. His national teammate and close friend Eduardo Vargas also joined QPR, which helped Isla settle in. He even helped set up a goal for his teammate Charlie Austin against Manchester City. Isla liked playing in London and wanted to stay with QPR permanently.
Later Years in Europe
On August 31, 2015, Isla was loaned by Juventus to Marseille, a French club.
On August 10, 2016, Isla moved to Cagliari in Italy. He signed a three-year contract with them.
On July 21, 2017, Isla signed a three-year contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe.
Playing for Flamengo
On August 19, 2020, Isla signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Flamengo, a Brazilian club. He joined them for free. Isla played his first game for Flamengo on August 30, 2020. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Santos. He was named the best right-back in the league during the 2020 season. Flamengo also won the league title that year.
Back to Chile and Argentina
On June 21, 2022, Universidad Católica announced that Isla was returning to them. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.
After his contract with Universidad Católica ended, Isla joined Independiente in Argentina in August 2023. He quickly became one of the key players in the team led by Carlos Tévez.
Return to Colo-Colo
In the second half of 2024, Isla returned to his home country, Chile. He signed with Colo-Colo. He chose to wear a shirt with the number '2+2'. This was a special way to wear his favorite number '4', similar to how Iván Zamorano wore '1+8' for Inter Milan.
Mauricio Isla's International Career
Youth Teams
Isla played for Chile's national youth teams. He was part of the Chile under-15 team in 2004. He also played for the Chile U17 team in 2005.
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Isla played for the Chile U20 team in the 2007 South American Youth Championship. Chile qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. During this World Cup, Isla became famous for his skills and ability to play in different positions. He was a very important part of the team that finished in third place.
In the quarter-final game against Nigeria, Isla played as a defender, midfielder, and forward. This was because many of his teammates were injured. The game went into extra time after no goals were scored in regular time. In extra time, Chile scored four goals, and Isla scored two of them, including one from a penalty. After each goal, Isla dedicated his goals to his grandmother and pregnant aunt. His amazing performance in this tournament led him to be signed by Udinese in Italy, even before he played his first professional game in Chile.
Senior National Team
In September 2007, when he was just 19, Mauricio Isla was called up to the senior Chile national squad by the new coach, Marcelo Bielsa. He played his first full international game in a friendly match against Switzerland. He started as a central midfielder. This was his first professional game ever, even before his debut for Udinese.
His strong performances earned him another call-up for the next friendly game against Israel. He played his first World Cup qualification match in March 2009 against Peru. Isla also started a game against Uruguay. He was sent off after 33 minutes in that game. He started in all four of Chile's games in the 2010 World Cup. He also played in most of the games in the 2011 Copa América and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.
At the 2015 Copa América, which was held in Chile, Isla scored the only goal in the 81st minute of a quarter-final game against Uruguay. This goal helped Chile reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1999. Chile went on to win the tournament.
How Mauricio Isla Plays
Mauricio Isla is a hard-working and skillful player. He can play in many different positions. He mainly plays on the right side of the field as a wing-back. This means he helps both in defense and attack. He can also play as a full-back (a defender on the side) or even as a midfielder in the middle or on the right side. He has also played in roles where he helps defend more or attack more in the midfield. He can do all this because he has a lot of energy, good technique, strength, and speed.
Mauricio Isla's Achievements
Club Trophies
- Juventus
- Serie A: 2012–13, 2013–14
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2013, 2015
- Flamengo
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2020
- Supercopa do Brasil: 2021
- Campeonato Carioca: 2021
International Trophies
- Chile
- Copa América: 2015, 2016
Individual Awards
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2016, 2021
- Bola de Prata: 2020
See also
In Spanish: Mauricio Isla para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
