Mikel Villanueva facts for kids
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Villanueva with Venezuela in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mikel Villanueva Álvarez | ||
| Date of birth | 14 April 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | San Cristóbal, Venezuela | ||
| Height | 1.90 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Deportivo Táchira | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012–2014 | Deportivo Táchira | 5 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | ACD Lara | 20 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | → Málaga B (loan) | 31 | (3) |
| 2016–2020 | Málaga | 31 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | → Cádiz (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Reus (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Gimnàstic (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Santa Clara | 50 | (1) |
| 2022– | Vitória Guimarães | 35 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2016– | Venezuela | 31 | (2) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Mikel Villanueva Álvarez (born on April 14, 1993) is a professional football player from Venezuela. He plays as a centre-back, which is a defensive position, for the club Vitória Guimarães in Portugal. He also plays for the Venezuela national team.
Mikel spent several years playing for Málaga in Spain. He played 15 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He was often loaned out to other clubs in the Segunda División, Spain's second division. He has also played in the Primeira Liga, Portugal's top league, for Santa Clara and Vitória Guimarães.
Since 2016, Mikel has been a full international player for Venezuela. He has represented his country in three Copa América tournaments, which are big football competitions for South American teams.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Venezuela
Mikel Villanueva was born in San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela. He started his football journey in the youth academy of Deportivo Táchira. On March 3, 2013, he played his first professional game.
Later, in 2014, Mikel moved to another team in Venezuela's top league, ACD Lara. He scored his first professional goal on January 25, 2015. This goal helped his team win against Carabobo FC.
In February 2015, Mikel scored two goals in one game for ACD Lara. He finished the 2014–15 season having played 20 games and scored four goals.
Time with Málaga CF
On July 4, 2015, Mikel joined Málaga CF in Spain. He first played for their reserve team, Málaga B. In May 2016, Málaga bought him permanently. He signed a three-year contract and moved up to the main team, which played in La Liga.
Mikel made his debut in Spain's top league on October 16, 2016. He played in a match against Deportivo Alavés. The next year, he extended his contract until 2020. He was then loaned to Cádiz CF, a team in the Segunda División, for a year.
In July 2018, Mikel was loaned to another second division team, CF Reus Deportiu. However, he left the club in December because of unpaid wages.
After that, in January 2019, Mikel moved to Gimnàstic de Tarragona, also in the second division, on another loan. When he returned to Málaga, he scored his only goal in Spanish football on October 20, 2019. This goal helped Málaga win a game against Deportivo de La Coruña.
Playing in Portugal
Joining Santa Clara
On August 31, 2020, Mikel signed a two-year contract with C.D. Santa Clara. This team plays in the Primeira Liga, Portugal's top football league. In his first season, he played almost every game, helping his team finish sixth. He scored a goal in April 2021 during a big win against C.D. Nacional.
Mikel also got to play in a European competition for the first time. This was the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League. In July 2021, he scored a goal in a game against KF Shkupi from North Macedonia.
Moving to Vitória Guimarães
After his contract with Santa Clara ended, Mikel joined Vitória de Guimarães on June 27, 2022. This team is also in the Primeira Liga. He signed a three-year deal with them.
International Career
Playing for Venezuela
Mikel Villanueva was first called to play for the Venezuela national team on January 20, 2016. This was for a friendly match against Costa Rica. He played his first game for his country on February 2, helping Venezuela win 1–0.
Mikel scored his first goal for Venezuela on March 24, 2016. This was during a qualifying match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He scored the second goal in a 2–2 draw against Peru. He scored another international goal against Peru in March 2017.
He was chosen to be part of Venezuela's team for the Copa América Centenario in 2016, but he did not play in any games.
Mikel was also called up for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. He played in the first two group games, which were draws against Peru and Brazil. Venezuela reached the quarter-finals that year. However, Mikel had to miss the rest of the tournament due to a fever.
At the 2021 Copa América, Venezuela was eliminated from their group. Mikel played in only one game, which was a 1–0 loss to Peru.
Honours and Achievements
Venezuela
- Kirin Cup: 2019
