Gary Medel

Gary Medel
Medel with Chile in 2013
Personal information
Full name Gary Alexis Medel Soto
Date of birth (1987-08-03) 3 August 1987
Place of birth Santiago, Chile
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder, defender
Team information
Current team
Universidad Católica
Number 17
Youth career
1997–2006 Universidad Católica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2009 Universidad Católica 68 (10)
2009–2011 Boca Juniors 46 (7)
2011–2013 Sevilla 78 (8)
2013–2014 Cardiff City 34 (0)
2014–2017 Inter Milan 91 (1)
2017–2019 Beşiktaş 51 (1)
2019–2023 Bologna 96 (0)
2023–2024 Vasco da Gama 30 (0)
2024–2025 Boca Juniors 9 (0)
2025– Universidad Católica 6 (0)
International career
2007 Chile U20 15 (0)
2008 Chile U23 8 (0)
2007– Chile 161 (7)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Chile
Copa América
Winner2015 Chile
Winner2016 United States
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up2017 Russia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
2007 Canada
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:23, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

Gary Alexis Medel Soto (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡaɾi meˈðel]; born 3 August 1987) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays for Chilean Primera División club Universidad Católica as a centre-back and a defensive midfielder.

Medel has played club football with several teams in numerous countries, starting out with Chilean side Universidad Católica, and later playing for Argentine side Boca Juniors, Spanish side Sevilla, Premier League side Cardiff City, and Italian side Inter Milan, before moving to Beşiktaş in Turkey in 2017. He then moved back to Italy and joined Bologna in 2019.

A full Chilean international with over 160 caps since 2007, Medel has represented the nation at two FIFA World Cups, five Copa América tournaments, and one edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup. He was part of the squad that won the 2015 Copa América (where he was named in the Team of the tournament) and the Copa América Centenario (2016). He was also included in squads that finished fourth at the 2019 Copa América and as the runners-up at the 2017 Confederations Cup.