Alexander Callens

Alexander Martín Callens Asín (born 4 May 1992) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Super League Greece club AEK Athens on loan from Girona, and the Peru national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Callens and the second or maternal family name is Asín.

Alexander Callens
Callens with New York City in 2022
Personal information
Full name Alexander Martín Callens Asín[1]
Date of birth (1992-05-04) 4 May 1992[2]
Place of birth Callao, Peru
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 AEK Athens
(on loan from Girona)
Number 18
Youth career
Sport Boys
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Sport Boys 30 (1)
2011–2015 Real Sociedad B 86 (5)
2014 Real Sociedad 0 (0)
2015–2017 Numancia 39 (3)
2017–2022 New York City 164 (11)
2023– Girona 6 (0)
2023– → AEK Athens (loan) 3 (0)
International career‡
2011 Peru U20 4 (1)
2013– Peru 38 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Peru
Copa América
Runner-up2019 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:07, 3 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:53, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Sport Boys

Born in Callao, Callens played youth football with Sport Boys.[3] He made his professional debut on 18 April 2010 in a 3–1 loss at León de Huánuco in the Peruvian Primera División,[4] and scored his first goal on 19 June in another away defeat, 2–1 against Inti Gas Deportes.[5]

Spain

Callens signed a two-year contract with Real Sociedad from Spain in August 2011, being assigned to the reserves.[6] He went on to spend several Segunda División B seasons with the latter.[7]

On 4 December 2014, Callens made his debut with the first team, featuring the entire second half of the 0–0 draw at Real Oviedo in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.[8] On 6 June 2015, he was released.[9]

On 10 August 2015, Callens joined Segunda División side CD Numancia on a one-year deal.[10] He scored his first goal in the league the following 16 January, in a 2–0 away win over Albacete Balompié.[11]

New York City

On 23 January 2017, Callens terminated his contract[12] and joined New York City FC shortly after.[13][14] He scored his first goal in the Major League Soccer on 3 June, helping the hosts to beat Philadelphia Union 2–1.[15]

Callens converted his attempt in the penalty shootout victory against the Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup 2021 on 11 December, closing the 4–2 score at Providence Park.[16] On 14 September 2022, he scored from open play to open an eventual 2–0 defeat of Atlas F.C. in the Campeones Cup.[17]

Girona

Callens returned to Spain in the 2023 January transfer window, on a two-and-a-half-year deal at Girona FC.[18] He played his first match in La Liga on 10 February, coming on as a 46th-minute substitute for Bernardo Espinosa in an eventual 2–0 away loss to Cádiz CF.[19]

On 8 September 2023, Callens was loaned to Super League Greece club AEK Athens FC.[20]

International career

Callens won his first cap for Peru on 17 April 2013, replacing Orlando Contreras in the 74th minute of a 0–0 friendly draw with Mexico held in San Francisco.[21] He scored his first goal for his country on 9 September 2014 in another exhibition game, opening the 2–0 win over Qatar.[22]

Callens was part of the squads at the 2019[23] and 2021 Copa América tournaments,[24] making five appearances in the latter for the fourth-placed team.[25][26][27][28][29]

Personal life

In June 2018, Callens earned a U.S. green card which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[30]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 23 May 2023[31]
Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition
Club Season League Domestic cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sport Boys 2010 Peruvian Primera División24100——241
2011 6010——70
Total 301100000311
Real Sociedad B 2011–12 Segunda División B50———50
2012–13 180———180
2013–14 352———352
2014–15 283———283
Total 865000000865
Real Sociedad 2013–14 La Liga0000——00
2014–15 001000—10
Total 0010000010
Numancia 2015–16 Segunda División23210——242
2016–17 16100——161
Total 393100000403
New York City 2017 Major League Soccer 34210—1[lower-alpha 1]0362
2018 31100—3[lower-alpha 1]0341
2019 24000—1[lower-alpha 1]0250
2020 222—4[lower-alpha 2]23[lower-alpha 3]0294
2021 26 1 — 1[lower-alpha 4] 0 4 1 31 2
2022 27 5 1 0 6 0 4 1 38 6
Total 164112011216219315
Girona 2022–23 La Liga 6 0 — — — 6 0
Total 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Career total 325205011216235724
  1. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
  2. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  3. Two appearances in MLS Back Tournament knockout stage, one appearance in MLS Cup Playoffs
  4. Appearance(s) in League Cup

International
As of match played on 20 June 2023[32]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Peru 201320
201481
201810
201920
2021120
2022110
202320
Total381
As of match played on 9 September 2014
Scores and results list Peru's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Callens goal.[22]
List of international goals scored by Alexander Callens
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
19 September 2014Abdullah bin Khalifa, Doha, Qatar Qatar1–02–0Friendly

Honours

New York City FC

References
  1. "Real Sociedad de Fútbol SAD "B" – UB Conquense" (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  2. "Callens". Diario AS. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  3. "Alexander Callens confesó que se retirará del fútbol con camiseta del Sport Boys" [Alexander Callens confessed he will retire from football with jersey of Sport Boys] (in Spanish). Infobae. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  4. "León 3 – Boys 1" (in Spanish). Dechalaca. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  5. "Goles con sabor a café" [Coffee-flavoured goals]. Diario Correo (in Spanish). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  6. "Alexander Callens oficializó su traspaso a la Real Sociedad de España" [Alexander Callens made transfer to Spain's Real Sociedad official] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  7. Sánchez, Ramón (2 June 2021). "Real Sociedad | Una inagotable cantera" [Real Sociedad | Neverending youth system]. Noticias de Gipuzkoa (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  8. Campos, Tomás (4 December 2014). "El Tartiere resiste" [Tartiere holds on]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  9. "Altas y bajas en el Sanse" [Ins and outs at Sanse] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  10. "Alex Callens, octavo refuerzo del C. D. Numancia 15–16" [Alex Callens, eighth addition of C.D. Numancia 15–16] (in Spanish). CD Numancia. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  11. "El Numancia se aleja del descenso a costa del Albacete" [Numancia stay clear of relegation at the expense of Albacete]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 16 January 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  12. "Alex Callens rescinde su contrato con el C. D. Numancia" [Alex Callens terminates his contract with C. D. Numancia] (in Spanish). CD Numancia. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  13. Booth, Mark (27 January 2017). "NYCFC sign Alexander Callens". New York City FC. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  14. Stejskal, Sam (27 January 2017). "New York City sign Peruvian international center back Alexander Callens". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  15. "Chanot, Callens score late goals, NYCFC top Union". The Sports Network. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  16. "New York City FC wins first MLS Cup championship, beating Portland Timbers in penalty kicks". USA Today. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  17. "New York City FC beat Atlas as MLS wins Campeones Cup again". WABC-TV. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  18. Bernad Suelves, Marc (23 January 2023). "Alexander Callens ficha por lo que resta de curso y dos más" [Alexander Callens signs for remainder of the campaign and two more]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  19. López Jordà, Toni (10 February 2023). "El Cádiz sale de la zona de descenso a costa de un Girona desconocido" [Cádiz leave relegation zone at the expense of unknown Girona]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  20. "El central peruano Alexander Callens se marcha cedido al AEK de Atenas" [Peruvian stopper Alexander Callens goes to AEK Athens on loan] (in Spanish). Infobae. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  21. "Perú empató 0–0 con México en partido amistoso jugado en San Francisco" [Peru drew 0–0 with Mexico in friendly played in San Francisco] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  22. "Perú vs. Catar: la Bicolor ganó 2–0 con goles de Callens y Guerrero (VIDEO)" [Peru vs. Qatar: Bicolor won 2–0 with goals from Callens and Guerrero (VIDEO)]. La República (in Spanish). 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  23. "Perú y las novedades de Gareca para la Copa América 2019" [Peru and Gareca's new faces for Copa América 2019]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  24. "Perú en la Copa América 2021: plantel, formación, figura y cuerpo técnico" [Peru at Copa América 2021: squad, formation, star and coaching staff] (in Spanish). Goal. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  25. "Un gol en propia puerta de Yerry Mina da la victoria a Perú ante Colombia" [Yerry Mina own goal gives win to Peru against Colombia]. Sport (in Spanish). 21 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  26. "Con gol y asistencia de Lapadula, Perú empató 2–2 con Ecuador y quedó a un paso de cuartos de la Copa América" [With goal and assist from Lapadula, Peru drew 2–2 with Ecuador and are all but qualified to Copa América's last-eight] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  27. Parrini, Victor (27 June 2021). "Peru vence Venezuela, e está nas quartas de final da Copa América" [Peru beat Venezuela, and reach Copa América quarter-finals]. Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  28. Lavieri, Danilo; Carneiro, Gabriel (5 July 2021). "Brasil sobra no primeiro tempo, elimina Peru e vai à final da Copa América" [Brazil all over the place in first half, oust Peru and go to Copa América final] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  29. "Colombia 3–2 Peru". BBC Sport. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  30. "Alex Callens gets U.S. Green Card". Twitter. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  31. "A. Callens". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  32. Alexander Callens at National-Football-Teams.com
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