Camilo Mena

Camilo Andrés Mena Márquez (born 1 October 2002) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Polish club Lechia Gdańsk.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mena and the second or maternal family name is Márquez.
Camilo Mena
Personal information
Full name Camilo Andrés Mena Márquez[1]
Date of birth (2002-10-01) 1 October 2002
Place of birth Concordia, Colombia[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Lechia Gdańsk
Number 7
Youth career
2016 Alianza Platanera
2017–2018 Tigres
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Tigres 40 (7)
2020 Deportivo Pereira 13 (0)
2021–2023 Valmiera 63 (16)
2023 → Jagiellonia (loan) 7 (0)
2023– Lechia Gdańsk 3 (1)
International career
2017 Colombia U15
Colombia U17
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 September 2023

Early life

Mena was born in Concordia, Antioquia, but was left displaced due to violence in Urabá Antioquia.[2]

Club career

Mena started his career with Alianza Platanera.[3] After six months with Alianza Platanera, he moved to Bogotá in 2017, joining the academy of Tigres. He made his debut the following year, at the age of fifteen, and made his first start in a 2–1 home loss to Cortuluá.[4] In October 2019, after good performances for Tigres, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best footballers born in 2002 worldwide.[5][6]

In December 2019, it was announced that Mena would join Categoría Primera A side Deportivo Pereira for the 2020 season.[7] After a year with Deportivo Pereira, he moved to Latvia to sign for Valmiera. During his time with Valmiera, he was named as the most influential under-20 player in world football, as he had more goals and assists than any other player under the age of twenty.[8] He also led the scoring charts for all players under the age of twenty worldwide, joint with Malaysian player Arif Aiman Hanapi.[8]

In February 2023, he joined Polish side Jagiellonia on a six-month loan deal.[9]

In August 2023, despite Mena's wishes to join the defending Ekstraklasa champions Raków Częstochowa,[10] Valmiera agreed on a deal to sell him to second division side Lechia Gdańsk. On 4 August, Mena signed a four-year contract with the Pomeranian club.[11]

International career

Mena represented Colombia at the 2017 South American U-15 Championship, scoring once in a 12–0 win over the Czech Republic.[12] He has also represented Colombia at under-17 level.[13]

Career statistics

Club
As of 2 September 2023.[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tigres 2018 Categoría Primera B 1402[lower-alpha 1]00000160
2019 Categoría Primera B 2673[lower-alpha 1]10000298
Total 407510000458
Deportivo Pereira 2020 Categoría Primera A 1301[lower-alpha 1]00000140
Valmiera 2021 Virslīga 2422[lower-alpha 2]02[lower-alpha 3]000282
2022 Virslīga 35142[lower-alpha 2]02[lower-alpha 3]0003914
2023 Virslīga 40003[lower-alpha 4]30073
Total 63164073007419
Jagiellonia (loan) 2022–23 Ekstraklasa 70——0070
Lechia Gdańsk 2023–24 I liga 3100——31
Career total 12624101730014328
Notes
  1. Appearances in the Copa Colombia
  2. Appearances in the Latvian Cup
  3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, one appearance and two goals in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Valmiera

References
  1. Camilo Mena at WorldFootball.net
  2. "Conozca al colombiano que es considerado el mejor futbolista sub-20 del mundo" [Meet the Colombian who is considered the best U-20 footballer in the world]. elcolombiano.com (in Spanish). 26 October 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  3. "Camilo Mena, de la cantera de Alianza Platanera, si que brilla..." [Camilo Mena, from the Alianza Platanera quarry, really shines...]. capsulas.com.co (in Spanish). 5 October 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  4. "Tras los pasos de Falcao: jugador de 15 años debutó como titular en el fútbol colombiano" [In the footsteps of Falcao: 15-year-old player made his debut as a starter in Colombian soccer]. pulzo.com (in Spanish). 24 July 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  5. Christenson, Marcus; Powell, Jim; Blight, Garry (10 October 2019). "Next Generation 2019: 60 of the best young talents in world football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  6. Cifuentes Pérez, Jeison (11 October 2019). "Camilo Mena, el joven colombiano considerado como promesa mundial" [Camilo Mena, the young Colombian considered a world promise]. futbolete.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. "Directivos Matecañas le apuestan a un juvenil como su primer refuerzo" [Matecañas managers bet on a youth as their first reinforcement]. eldiario.com.co (in Spanish). 11 December 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. Beetar Peñuela, Juan David (6 October 2022). "Camilo Mena, el Sub 20 con mejores números en el mundo" [Camilo Mena, the Sub 20 with the best numbers in the world]. colombia.as.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  9. "Ekstraklasa: ciekawy transfer Jagiellonii. Camilo Mena odciąży Hiszpanów?" [Ekstraklasa: an interesting transfer of Jagiellonia. Camilo Mena will relieve the Spaniards?]. polskieradio24.pl (in Polish). 15 February 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  10. "Koniec zamieszania. Chciał go Raków, przechodzi do Lechii Gdańsk" [End of the commotion. Raków wanted him, he will join Lechia Gdańsk]. sport.pl (in Polish). 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  11. "Camilo Mena nowym zawodnikiem Lechii Gdańsk" [Camilo Mena is a new Lechia Gdańsk player] (in Polish). Lechia Gdańsk. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  12. "12-0, la histórica goleada de la Selección Colombia sub 15 a República Checa" [12-0, the historic rout of the Colombian sub 15 team against the Czech Republic]. semana.com (in Spanish). 11 November 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  13. "Este es Camilo Mena, promesa del FPC que sueña con Serie A" [This is Camilo Mena, promise of the FPC who dreams of Serie A]. colombia.as.com (in Spanish). 11 October 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  14. Camilo Mena at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  15. "Club history - Valmiera FC". Valmiera FC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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