Luis Mejía
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Mejía with Panama at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Ricardo Mejía Cajar | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 March 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Panama City, Panama | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Nacional | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Tauro | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Fénix | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Real Mallorca B (loan) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Fénix | 89 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | → Toulouse FC (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Nacional | 51 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Fénix | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Unión Española | 21 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | → Racing de Montevideo (loan) | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Nacional | 47 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Panama U17 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Panama U20 | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Panama U21 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Panama U23 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009– | Panama | 54 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:30, 10 June 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Luis Ricardo Mejía Cajar (born 16 March 1991) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional.
Club career
Nicknamed Manotas, Mejia made his professional debut playing with Tauro in 2007.
In 2008, he was transferred to Uruguayan side Centro Atlético Fénix, but finally made his team debut on 21 August 2010 on a match against Tacuarembó, being rewarded as the man of the match.[1] His outstanding performances called the interest of various team of Europe.
In January 2011, he was loaned for 6 months to Toulouse but was never able to win a place in the first team, so he had to cope with playing in the reserve team.[2]
Upon his return to Fénix in June 2011, he cemented his position in the starting lineup of the team. In the 2012–13 Uruguayan Primera División season, he played 27 games where they conceded 37 goals in the annual table and finished in seventh position, one spot away from qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana.[3] In the 2013–14 championship he played 18 games where Fénix conceded 22 goals, again resulting in a seventh-place position.[4]
After several impressive seasons as a top-performing goalkeeper in the Uruguayan top flight, Mejía signed for Club Nacional in 2015. For his first three seasons at the club, he was back-up goalkeeper to Esteban Conde, but obtained the starting position in the team for the 2018 season. In 2019, he made 24 league appearance as Nacional won their forty-seventh domestic title.[5] After losing the starting role in the team to the Uruguayan international goalkeeper Sergio Rochet for the starting role in 2020, Mejía returned to Fénix for one season, and then left Uruguay for the first time since 2011 to join Unión Española for the 2022 Chilean Primera División.[6]
He returned to Nacional in 2024, retaking the position as the primary goalkeeper in the team following Rochet's transfer to Internacional.[7]
International career
Mejía was part of the Panama U-20 squad that participated in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He was the youngest goalkeeper in the world cup and the revelation. He was also part of the Panama U-20 squad that participated in the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship where his outstanding performances led them to qualify to the Youth World Cup in Colombia.[8]
His senior international debut for Panama came on 8 June 2009 against Jamaica, in a Friendly match.[9]
He was part of the Panama U-23 squad that participated in the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament which they could not qualify to the 2012 Summer Olympics.
In 2011, he was called up by Julio Dely Valdés to play the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, he played 2 matches and conceded 6 goals as Panama were eliminated in the group stage. Mejía was also called up for the 2023 version of the tournament, where his side finished as runners-up as they lost the final 1-0 against Mexico at SoFi Stadium, in which he was the back-up goalkeeper to first-choice Orlando Mosquera.[10]
He was similarly a substitute goalkeeper for the 2024 Copa América, where Panama were eliminated in the quarterfinals, eventually losing to Colombia.[11]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 31 May 2025[12]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fénix | 2010–11 | Uruguayan Primera División | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
| 2012–13 | 27 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 0 | |||||
| 2013–14 | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||||
| 2014–15 | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 89 | 0 | — | — | — | 89 | 0 | |||||
| Nacional | 2015–16 | Uruguayan Primera División | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2018 | 16 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | 24 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 9 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 0 | |||
| Fénix | 2021 | Uruguayan Primera División | 20 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| Unión Española | 2022 | Chilean Primera División | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| Racing de Montevideo (loan) | 2023 | Uruguayan Primera División | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Nacional | 2024 | Uruguayan Primera División | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 241 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 281 | 0 | ||
International
- As of match played 10 June 2025[9]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 0 | |
Honours
Club Nacional
Panama
References
- ^ "Brillante actuación de Luis Mejía en su debut" (in Spanish). Diariopro. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ "Luis "Manotas" Mejía presentado como jugador del Toulouse" (in Spanish). Diariopro. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ "Fénix: vienen para observar a Luis Mejía y Hernán Novick". Tenfield. 14 May 2013.
- ^ ""Soy casi un uruguayo más"". Pordeciralgo. 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Nacional or Peñarol? The Never-Ending Uruguayan Championship Saga". babagol. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Rochet: Uruguay have a great side who are hungry". FIFA. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Sergio Rochet: su sentimiento vigente por Nacional y las cualidades de Luis Mejía" (in Spanish). espn deportes. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Luis Mejía – FIFA competition record (archived)
- ^ a b Luis Mejía at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "Mexico 1-0 Panama: Gold Cup final". ESPN. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Colombia 5-0 Panama: 2024 Copa quarter final". ESPN. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Luis Mejía at Soccerway
- ^ Chappell, Bill (29 July 2013). "U.S. Beats Panama, 1-0, To Win Gold Cup Title". NPR. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ "Mexico 1-0 Panama (Jul 16, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ "USA 1, Panama 1 (2-3 on penalties) | CONCACAF Gold Cup Match Recap | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 27 March 2025.