Eric Meza

Eric Meza
Personal information
Full name Eric Exequiel Meza
Date of birth (1999-04-08) 8 April 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Santa Fe, Argentina
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Estudiantes
Number 20
Youth career
Unión Santa Fe
2009–2020 Colón
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Colón 93 (7)
2024– Estudiantes 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:35, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Eric Exequiel Meza (born 8 April 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Estudiantes.[2]

Career

Born in Santa Fe, Meza joined Colón's youth categories in 2009, from city rivals Unión de Santa Fe.[3][4] After eleven years in their academy, manager Eduardo Domínguez moved him into the first-team squad in 2020.[5][6][7]

After being an unused substitute in several 2020 Copa de la Liga Profesional group stage matches,[2] Meza made his first team debut on 28 November 2020, replacing Gonzalo Piovi in a 2–1 defeat to Independiente at the Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López.[2][8] The following 12 January, he signed his first professional contract with the club, after agreeing to a three-year deal.[9]

Meza became a regular starter for Colón during the 2021 season, and scored his first senior goal on 13 August of that year, in a 1–0 home win over Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.[10] He scored another three goals during that year, as his side qualified to the Copa Libertadores.

Meza was still a first-choice ahead of Jonathan Sandoval and Augusto Schott during the 2022 campaign, but suffered an injury in September of that year which sidelined him for the remainder of the tournament.[11]

Career statistics

As of 29 November 2020.[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental[b] Other[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Colón 2020–21 Primera División 3[nb 1] 0 2 0 — — 5 0
2021 31[nb 1] 4 — — 1 0 32 4
2022 24[nb 1] 0 2 0 8 1 — 34 1
2023 18 1 1 0 — — 19 1
Career total 76 5 5 0 8 1 1 0 90 6
  1. ^ Includes the Copa Argentina
  2. ^ Includes the Copa Libertadores
  3. ^ Includes the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional

Honours

Estudiantes

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Soccerway counts Copa de la Liga Profesional appearances as league appearances.

References

  1. ^ Eric Meza at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c d Eric Meza at Soccerway. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Eric Meza: Ojalá pueda seguir en Colón" [Eric Meza: I hope I can continue at Colón]. Uno Santa Fe (in Spanish). 13 June 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  4. ^ "La historia no contada del esperancino Gómez jugando para Colón" [The untold story of the esperancino Gómez playing for Colón]. Esperancino (in Spanish). 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Eric Meza sigue sin contrato en Colón y el DT lo ubica en el 11 titular" [Eric Meza remains without a contract at Colón and the manager puts him in the starting XI]. Santa Fe Deportivo (in Spanish). 21 September 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  6. ^ "El juvenil Eric Meza ratificó que su sueño "es seguir jugando en Colón"" [The youngster Eric Meza assured that his dream is "to keep playing at Colón"]. DeporFe (in Spanish). 12 June 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Eric Meza contó del hisopado y que le hicieron en Colón" [Eric Meza talked about the swab and what they did to him at Colón]. Agenciafe (in Spanish). 20 August 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Eric Meza contó por LT10 que sueña con "seguir en Colón"" [Eric Meza told LT10 that he dreams with "remaining at Colón"]. LT10 (in Spanish). 12 June 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Eric Meza firmó su primer contrato profesional en Colón" [Eric Meza signed his first professional contract at Colón] (in Spanish). Sol Play 91.5. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Eric Meza y su primer tanto en Colón: "Al fin encontré el gol que tanto buscaba"" [Eric Meza and his first goal at Colón: "Finally found the goal that I was looking for"] (in Spanish). TyC Sports. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Colón: Eric Meza se despide del torneo por lesión" [Colón: Eric Meza bids farewell from the tournament due to injury] (in Spanish). TyC Sports. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  12. ^ "¡ESTUDIANTES CAMPEÓN! Venció a Vélez por penales y se consagró en la Copa de la Liga 2024". ESPN.com.ar (in Spanish). 5 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.