Sebastián Pérez (footballer, born 1993) facts for kids
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Pérez with Atlético Nacional in 2016
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sebastián Pérez Cardona | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Envigado, Colombia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Boavista | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Atlético Nacional | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Atlético Nacional | 119 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Boca Juniors | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | → Pachuca (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | → Barcelona SC (loan) | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | → Boavista (loan) | 16 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Boavista | 116 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Colombia U20 | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Colombia Olympic | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Colombia | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:42, 21 June 2021 (UTC) |
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Sebastián Pérez Cardona (born on March 29, 1993) is a professional footballer from Colombia. He is sometimes called Seba Pérez. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the Portuguese club Boavista, which is part of the Primeira Liga.
Sebastián is known for being quick to react and for his skills in both defending and attacking. Early in his career, many people outside Colombia thought he was a very promising young player.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Atlético Nacional: Early Career and Trophies
Sebastián Pérez started his professional career with Atlético Nacional. He made his first official appearance for the team on March 4, 2011. He was only 18 years old when he helped Nacional win the 2011 Torneo Apertura championship. This made him the youngest player to win that title.
In the next year, he was part of the Nacional team that won both the Copa Colombia and the Superliga Colombiana. This meant he had won every major trophy in Colombia before he turned 20!
Trial with Arsenal
After playing in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Sebastián was invited to try out for Arsenal in England in August 2013. He played for 26 minutes in a friendly game against Manchester City. Even though he played for a short time, people were impressed by his natural talent.
The manager of Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, liked what he saw. However, Sebastián could not get a work permit to play in England. This was because he had not played in at least 75% of Colombia's international matches. So, he went back to Nacional. Wenger said he would keep watching Pérez for a chance to sign him later.
Winning the Copa Libertadores
On July 27, 2016, Sebastián Pérez and Atlético Nacional won the 2016 Copa Libertadores. This was a very big win for him and the club. Before he left Nacional, Sebastián had won ten titles with the team, making him one of their most successful players ever.
Moving to Boca Juniors
In 2016, Sebastián joined the Argentinian club Boca Juniors. He faced a challenge when he had an ACL injury (a type of knee injury). This kept him from playing for the team from April 2017 to January 2018.
Loan Spells: Pachuca and Barcelona S.C.
In September 2018, Sebastián was loaned to Pachuca in Mexico. He played only one game for them in the Copa MX.
On January 3, 2019, he moved to Barcelona S.C. in Ecuador on loan. He played 24 league games for them in the 2019 Ecuadorian Serie A season.
Joining Boavista
On September 19, 2020, Sebastián was loaned to Boavista, a club in Portugal's Primeira Liga. He played well there, and on August 31, 2021, Boavista decided to buy him permanently. He signed a four-year contract with the club and continues to play for them.
Playing for His Country
Youth National Team
Sebastián first played for the Colombia U20 national team in 2011. He took part in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Colombia. He was called up again for the 2013 South American Youth Championship, which Colombia won. This win helped them qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. His strong performances in these tournaments caught the attention of top teams in Europe.
Senior National Team
Sebastián Pérez was first called to play for the senior Colombia national team in 2016. He played in a World Cup qualifying game against Bolivia. Colombia won the game 3–2.
He scored his first goal for Colombia in the next qualifying game against Ecuador on March 29, 2016. It was an amazing acrobatic goal that helped Colombia win 3–1.
In May 2018, he was part of the group of 35 players chosen for Colombia's team for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, he was not selected for the final team.
How Sebastián Pérez Plays
Sebastián Pérez was seen as a "natural talent" even before he joined Nacional. He is a very flexible player because he can use both feet well. He also has great "panoramic vision," which means he can see the whole field and make accurate passes.
Even though he usually plays as a defensive midfielder, Sebastián can also shoot with power and accuracy from far away. He is often a key player in counter-attacks, which are quick attacks after winning the ball back.
Sebastián has said that he was inspired by famous midfielders like Xavi, Xabi Alonso, and Andrea Pirlo. He wanted to make a difference in both defending and attacking, just like them.
Personal Life
Sebastián Pérez married Manuela Restrepo in 2015. In July 2016, they had their first child, a son. In 2017, Sebastián decided to become a vegan because of his beliefs about animals.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club performance | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Atlético Nacional | 2011 | Categoría Primera A | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | Categoría Primera A | 15 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2013 | Categoría Primera A | 11 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2014 | Categoría Primera A | 29 | 1 | 10 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 1 | ||
| 2015 | Categoría Primera A | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2016 | Categoría Primera A | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 119 | 2 | 34 | 2 | — | 20 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 179 | 5 | |||
| Boca Juniors | 2016–17 | Primera División | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Pachuca (loan) | 2018–19 | Liga MX | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Barcelona SC (loan) | 2019 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 24 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| Boavista (loan) | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| Boavista | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| Total | 82 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 | — | — | 96 | 6 | ||||
| Career total | 240 | 7 | 39 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 320 | 11 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2016 | 8 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pérez goal
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Final | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 March 2016 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia |  Ecuador |
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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Achievements
Club Trophies
Atlético Nacional
- Categoría Primera A (5): 2011-I, 2013-I, 2013-II, 2014-I, 2015-II
- Copa Colombia (2): 2012, 2013
- Superliga Colombiana (2): 2012, 2016
- Copa Libertadores (1): 2016
Boca Juniors
- Primera División (1): 2016–17
International Achievements
- Colombia
- Copa América: Third place in 2016 and 2021
- South American Youth Championship: 2013
