Jorge Meré Pérez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxoɾxe meˈɾe ˈpeɾeθ]; born 17 April 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga MX club América.

Jorge Meré
Meré playing with Köln in 2018
Personal information
Full name Jorge Meré Pérez
Date of birth (1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 27)[1][2]
Place of birth Oviedo, Spain[1]
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3][2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
América
Youth career
2005–2010 Oviedo
2010–2014 Sporting Gijón
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Sporting Gijón B 47 (3)
2015–2017 Sporting Gijón 61 (0)
2017–2022 1. FC Köln 83 (2)
2022– América 10 (0)
2022Mazatlán (loan) 6 (0)
2023–2024Cádiz (loan) 20 (0)
International career
2013–2014 Spain U17 10 (2)
2014 Spain U18 2 (0)
2014–2016 Spain U19 16 (0)
2015–2019 Spain U21 31 (3)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Winner European U19 Championship 2015
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 April 2024

Club career

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Sporting Gijón

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Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Meré joined Sporting de Gijón's youth setup in 2010 after starting out at neighbours Real Oviedo,[4] and he made his senior debut with the reserves in the 2013–14 season (aged only 16), in Segunda División B. On 24 July 2014, he signed a new five-year deal with the club, with a 25 million release clause.[5]

In January 2015, Meré was linked to Newcastle United,[6] but nothing came of it. On 11 April, he played his first game as a professional, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Real Zaragoza in the Segunda División.[7]

Meré appeared in five matches for the first team during the campaign, as they returned to La Liga after a three-year absence. He made his debut in the competition on 23 September 2015, starting in a 2–1 away loss to Rayo Vallecano.[8]

Meré contributed 25 appearances during 2015–16, overcoming Bernardo Espinosa (who was sidelined due to an injury), Igor Lichnovsky and Ognjen Vranješ as his side avoided relegation in the last matchday.[9] He was named Sporting's player of the season, with his father accepting the award on his behalf.[10]

1. FC Köln

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On 20 July 2017, Meré joined 1. FC Köln on a five-year contract for a fee believed to be between €8.5 million and €9 million,[11] becoming the highest transfer ever received by Sporting.[12] His first game in the Bundesliga took place on 9 September, when he played the second half of a 3–0 away loss against FC Augsburg.[13]

Meré scored his first goal as a professional on 2 February 2018, but in a 2–3 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund.[14]

América

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On 18 January 2022, Meré agreed to a deal at Club América of the Mexican Liga MX.[15] In August, he was loaned to Mazatlán F.C. in the same country and league.[16]

Meré returned to Spain and its top flight in January 2023, on loan to Cádiz CF until 30 June.[17]

International career

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Meré represented Spain at every age group level, from the under-15 to the under-21s. In 2012 he appeared for the former at the Mexico Cup of Nations,[18] and was part of the under-19 squad who won the UEFA European Championship in 2015;[19] earlier in that year, aged only 18, he earned his first cap for the under-21 team, in a 4–0 win over Belarus.[20]

In May 2016, 19-year-old Meré was called up to the full squad for the first time, for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.[21]

Career statistics

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As of match played 4 June 2023[22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sporting Gijón B 2013–14 Segunda División B 19 0 19 0
2014–15 Segunda División B 28 3 28 3
Total 47 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 47 3
Sporting Gijón 2014–15 Segunda División 5 0 0 0 5 0
2015–16 La Liga 25 0 1 0 26 0
2016–17 La Liga 31 0 1 0 32 0
Total 61 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 63 0
1. FC Köln 2017–18 Bundesliga 22 1 1 0 3[a] 0 26 1
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 26 0 2 0 28 0
2019–20 Bundesliga 11 1 2 0 13 1
2020–21 Bundesliga 16 0 3 0 1[b] 0 20 0
2021–22 Bundesliga 8 0 1 0 9 0
Total 83 2 9 0 3 0 1 0 96 2
Club América 2021–22 Liga MX 10 0 0 0 10 0
Mazatlán (loan) 2022–23 Liga MX 6 0 6 0
Cádiz (loan) 2022–23 La Liga 10 0 10 0
Career total 217 5 11 0 3 0 1 0 232 5
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Appearance in Bundesliga relegation playoffs

Honours

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1. FC Köln

Spain U19

Spain U21

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jorge Meré". Eurosport. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Jorge Meré". Bundesliga. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Jorge Meré" (in German). FC Köln. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Julio y Meré, dos joyas en la zaga ante el Oviedo" [Julio and Meré, two pearls in the defence against Oviedo] (in Spanish). Gol Average. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  5. ^ Guisasola, Pablo (24 July 2014). "El Sporting 'ata' a Jorge Meré: la nueva perla de Mareo" [Sporting 'tie up' Jorge Meré: the new pearl of Mareo] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  6. ^ Verrall, John (27 January 2015). "Report: Newcastle target move for Jorge Mere before window closes". Here Is The City. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Ni Zaragoza ni Sporting abandonan sus malas rachas" [Neither Zaragoza nor Sporting leave their poor runs]. Marca (in Spanish). 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  8. ^ Ballesteros, Cristian (23 September 2015). "El Rayo sabe contemporizar ante un valiente Sporting" [Rayo know how to use time against a valiant Sporting]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  9. ^ Blanco Taladriz, Diego (26 May 2016). "Jorge Meré: "Estar aquí ya es un tremendo orgullo, debute o no"" [Jorge Meré: "Being here is a tremendous pride already, debuting or not"] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  10. ^ ""Meré llevará siempre al Sporting en su corazón", dice su padre al recoger el "Molinón de plata"" ["Meré will always carry Sporting in his heart", says his father as he picks up the "Molinón de plata"]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 30 July 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Köln schnappt sich Abwehr-Talent" [Köln acquire defensive talent] (in German). Sport1. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  12. ^ García, José Ángel (20 July 2017). "Meré, al Colonia por 9 millones" [Meré, to Cologne for 9 million]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Köln holt sich die nächste Schlappe ab und ist Letzter" [Köln get another defeat and are last]. Rheinische Post (in German). 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Borussia Dortmund victorious in Cologne thanks debut brace from Michy Batshuayi". Bundesliga. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Jorge Meré verlässt den FC" [Jorge Meré leaves FC] (in German). FC Köln. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  16. ^ Caballero, César (2 August 2022). "Jorge Meré será presentado en Mazatlán el viernes" [Jorge Meré will be presented at Mazatlán on Friday] (in Spanish). ESPN. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Cesión de Jorge Meré procedente del Club América" [Loan of Jorge Meré from Club América] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Jorge Meré y Álvaro Fidalgo, a México" [Jorge Meré and Álvaro Fidalgo, to Mexico]. El Comercio (in Spanish). 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  19. ^ a b Haslam, Andrew (19 July 2015). "Spain see off Russia for seventh Under-19 crown". UEFA. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  20. ^ "Jorge Meré, un internacional Sub 21 de 17 años" [Jorge Meré, a 17-year-old Under-21 international] (in Spanish). Sporting Gijón. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  21. ^ Rivera, Víctor (24 May 2016). "Jorge Meré vive su primer gran día con la selección" [Jorge Meré lives his first great day with the national team]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Jorge Meré". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  23. ^ "Zweitliga-Meister 2019" [Second Division champions 2019] (in German). FC Köln. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  24. ^ Begley, Emlyn (30 June 2019). "Spain U21 2–1 Germany U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  25. ^ "Germany U21 1–0 Spain U21". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
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