César Augusto Medina Mejía (born 10 April 1981) is a Panamanian footballer who played as a forward with Alianza for over a decade, from 2012 until 2024. He also played one match for the Panama national team in 2007.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | César Augusto Medina Mejía | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Pacora, Panamá | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2008 | Alianza | ||
| 2009 | Olimpia | ||
| 20010 | Pisa | ||
| 2010–2011 | Alianza | ||
| 2012 | Comunicaciones | ||
| 2013–2024 | Alianza | ||
| International career | |||
| 2007 | Panama | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editClub career
editFollowing a good performance in a showcasing friendly held in Pacora, Professor Gustavo Ávila brought Medina to Dinamo, a local team, where he initially struggled to practice, but soon got himself together with the help of his parents.[1] He made his debut for the first team at Candela Gil on 28 December 1995, aged 15.[1] Ten years later, in 2005, he made his debut for Alianza, scoring two goals against Plaza Amador, and in his fourth appearance, he scored a four-goal haul in a 6–2 win over Atlético Veraguense.[1]
Having spent all my years playing here, when I step onto this pitch I give everything for this team, even if it's a small team like people say, but hey, you have to keep going.
In 2009, Medina spent a few months with Olimpia in Honduras, where he failed to score a single goal, and with Pisa in Italy, where he failed to adapt, so he returned to Alianza, with whom he played for over a decade, from 2012 until 2024.[1] In mid-2015, he had already scored 113 top-tier goals for Alianza.[1] On 28 May 2022, he started in the final of the Apertura tournament of the Panamanian top-flight, helping his side to a 1–2 victory over Sporting San Miguelito.[3] He announced his retirement in May 2024, leaving Alianza after nearly 20 years and with a total of 178 official goals in the Panamanian league, making him the second highest scorer in its history.[4] Regarded as Alianza's most valuable player in 61 years, the club decided to honour him by officially retiring the number 24 jersey, which identified him throughout his career.[4]
According to IFFHS, Medina was the third-oldest player in the world to play a match in the top tier of a national league in 2024, at the age of 44 years and 22 days, in his last career match in the Panamanian league against San Miguelito on 2 May, which ended in a 0–1 loss.[5]
International career
editOn 14 October 2008, Medina earned his first (and only) international cap in a friendly match against Honduras, which ended in a 0–1 loss.[6]
Honours
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "El goleador César Bombo Medina" [The top scorer César Bombo Medina]. alianzafc.net (in Spanish). 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ "César Medina: "No es una maldición, es la actitud de los jugadores"" [César Medina: "It's not a curse, it's the players' attitude."]. bitacoradeportiva.com (in Spanish). 1 October 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ "Alianza, campeón Apertura 2022 de la LPF" [Alianza, 2022 LPF Apertura champion]. www.panamaamerica.com.pa (in Spanish). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- 1 2 "LPF: Alianza retirará el dorsal del goleador César Medina" [LPF: Alianza will retire striker César Medina's jersey number]. www.rpctv.com (in Spanish). 3 May 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ "The oldest in 2024". IFFHS. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ↑ "César Medina (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
External links
edit- César Medina at National-Football-Teams.com