Jorge Meré

Jorge Meré Pérez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxoɾxe meˈɾe ˈpeɾeθ]; born 17 April 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for German club 1. FC Köln as a central defender.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Meré and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.
Jorge Meré
Meré playing with Köln in 2018
Personal information
Full name Jorge Meré Pérez
Date of birth (1997-04-17) 17 April 1997
Place of birth Oviedo, Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 1. FC Köln
Number 22
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– 1. FC Köln 59 (2)
National team
2013–2014 Spain U17 10 (2)
2014 Spain U18 2 (0)
2014–2016 Spain U19 16 (0)
2015–2019 Spain U21 31 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:30, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Sporting Gijón

Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Meré joined Sporting de Gijón's youth setup in 2010 after starting out at neighbours Real Oviedo,[1] 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.[2]

In January 2015, Meré was linked to Newcastle United,[3] 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 for the Segunda División.[4]

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 1–2 away loss to Rayo Vallecano.[5]

Meré contributed with 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.[6] He was named Sporting's player of the season, with his father accepting the award on his behalf.[7]

1. FC Köln

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,[8] becoming the highest transfer ever received by Sporting.[9] His first game in the Bundesliga took place on 9 September, when he played the second half of a 0–3 away loss against FC Augsburg.[10]

Meré scored his first goal as a professional on 2 February 2018, but in a 2–3 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund.[11]

International career

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,[12] and was part of the under-19 squad who won the UEFA European Championship in 2015;[13] earlier in that year, aged only 18, he earned his first cap for the under-21 team, in a 4–0 win over Belarus.[14]

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.[15]

Career statistics
As of 29 May 2020[16]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting B 2013–14 Segunda División B 190—190
2014–15 283—283
Total 473—473
Sporting Gijón 2014–15 Segunda División 5000—50
2015–16 La Liga 25010—260
2016–17 31010—320
Total 61020—630
1. FC Köln 2017–18 Bundesliga 221103[lower-alpha 1]0—261
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 26020—280
2019–20 Bundesliga 10120—121
Total 5825030—662
Career total 16657030001765
  1. All appearances in UEFA Europe League

Honours

Club

FC Köln

International

Spain U19

Spain U21

References
  1. "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. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. 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.
  3. Verrall, John (27 January 2015). "Report: Newcastle target move for Jorge Mere before window closes". Here Is The City. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  4. "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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. ""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.
  8. "Köln schnappt sich Abwehr-Talent" [Köln acquire defensive talent] (in German). Sport1. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  9. 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.
  10. "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.
  11. "Borussia Dortmund victorious in Cologne thanks debut brace from Michy Batshuayi". Bundesliga. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  12. "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.
  13. Haslam, Andrew (19 July 2015). "Spain see off Russia for seventh Under-19 crown". UEFA. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  14. "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.
  15. 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.
  16. "Jorge Meré". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  17. Begley, Emlyn (30 June 2019). "Spain U21 2–1 Germany U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  18. "Germany U21 1–0 Spain U21". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
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