 Sánchez withColombia at the2018 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Davinson Sánchez Mina[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1996-06-12)12 June 1996 (age 29)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Caloto, Colombia | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Galatasaray | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| América de Cali | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlético Nacional | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Atlético Nacional | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Ajax II | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Ajax | 32 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Tottenham Hotspur | 143 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Galatasaray | 64 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Colombia U17 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Colombia U20 | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Colombia Olympic | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Colombia | 75 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Davinson Sánchez Mina (born 12 June 1996) is a Colombian professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forSüper Lig clubGalatasaray and theColombia national team.
Sánchez began his career in Colombia withAtlético Nacional, where he made his professional debut in2013 and went on to win fourCategoría Primera A titles, twoCopa Colombia trophies (2012,2013), the2016 Superliga Colombiana, and the2016 Copa Libertadores. In2016–17, he moved to Europe to joinAjax, where he was named the club’s Player of the Year and reached the2017 UEFA Europa League Final. Later in2017, he signed forTottenham Hotspur in a then club-record £42 million transfer, making over 200 appearances. In2023, he joined TurkishSüper Lig clubGalatasaray, where he won theTurkish Super Cup in2023, theSüper Lig in2023–24 and2024–25, and theTurkish Cup in2024–25.
At youth level, Sánchez representedColombia at the2013 South American U-17 Championship and was part of theColombia squads that participated at the2015 South American U-20 Championship and the2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, respectively. He made his senior debut for Colombia in 2016 and has represented the nation at three editions of theCopa América, as well as at the2018 FIFA World Cup.
Davinson Sánchez began his footballing education in the academy ofAmérica de Cali, first as a defensive midfielder before being moved permanently tocentre-back due to his anticipation, strength and aerial ability.[4] During his early teens he impressed playing above his age category, drawing interest from clubs in Medellín.[5]
After his family relocated to Antioquia, Sánchez joined the youth setup ofAtlético Nacional under coachJuan Carlos Osorio, who promoted a possession-based system relying on ball-playing centre-backs.[6] He made his professional debut on 27 October 2013, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 loss toBoyacá Chicó in theCategoría Primera A.[7] On 2 March 2016 he scored his first senior goal in a 3–0 win overSporting Cristal during theCopa Libertadores group stage.[8] That year he was a starter throughout Nacional’s victorious2016 Copa Libertadores, including both legs of the final againstIndependiente del Valle, giving Nacional its second continental title.[9] European clubs includingBarcelona,Flamengo andAjax expressed interest, but he declined Barcelona’s offer because it required joiningBarcelona B.[10][11]
After winning the2016 Copa Libertadores withAtlético Nacional, Sánchez signed a five-year contract withAjax in June 2016 for a reported fee of €5 million.[12][13] He officially joined the Dutch club in late July following Nacional’s continental campaign and was unveiled alongside compatriotMateo Cassierra.[14]
Sánchez made his competitive debut for Ajax on 13 August 2016 in a 2–2 draw away toRoda JC in theEredivisie.[15] He quickly established himself as a starting centre-back under managerPeter Bosz, known for his composure on the ball and aerial ability.
His first goal came on 24 September 2016, scoring from close range in a 5–1 league win againstPEC Zwolle.[16] He scored again on 20 November 2016, heading in from a corner in a 5–0 victory overNEC Nijmegen.[17] His third league goal came on 12 March 2017 in a 3–0 home win againstFC Twente.[18] Sánchez also scored in European competition on 24 November 2016, netting Ajax’s second goal in a 2–0 win overPanathinaikos in theUEFA Europa League group stage.[19]
In total, he made 43 appearances and scored 6 goals across all competitions — 32 in the Eredivisie and 11 in European competition — as Ajax finished second in the league and reached theUEFA Europa League Final againstManchester United, losing 2–0.[20][21] His performances earned him Ajax’s Player of the Year award and interest from major European clubs includingBarcelona andChelsea.[22]
Sánchez began pre-season with Ajax and made two competitive appearances at the start of the 2017–18 campaign — one in the Eredivisie and one in theUEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.[23] However, following Tottenham’s approach in August 2017, he was omitted from the matchday squad until the transfer was finalised. He departed Ajax having scored 7 goals in 45 official matches for the club in all competitions.
On 18 August 2017,Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Sánchez fromAjax for a club-record fee of £42 million, making him the first Colombian to play for the club.[24][25]
Sánchez debuted in thePremier League on 27 August 2017, coming on in a 1–1 draw againstBurnley atWembley.[26] UnderMauricio Pochettino, he quickly became a regular starter on the right of a back three alongsideToby Alderweireld andJan Vertonghen. He made 31 league appearances and nine in other competitions (five in theUEFA Champions League and four in domestic cups). Tottenham finished third and qualified for the Champions League again.[27]
In May 2018, Sánchez extended his contract to 2024.[28] On 10 February 2019, he scored his first goal for Tottenham, heading in from aChristian Eriksen corner during a 3–1 win overLeicester City.[29]
That same season he featured in Tottenham’s historic run to theUEFA Champions League Final againstLiverpool, playing throughout the group and knockout stages.[30]
AfterJosé Mourinho succeeded Pochettino in November 2019, Sánchez remained a central defensive regular and passed 100 total appearances for Tottenham.[31]
He made 27 league appearances plus ten in other competitions, including theUEFA Champions League, helping Spurs finish sixth in the Premier League and qualify for theUEFA Europa League.
Sánchez began the campaign rotating withEric Dier,Toby Alderweireld, andJoe Rodon. On 10 February 2021 he scored twice in a 5–4 defeat toEverton in the fifth round of theFA Cup[32] He played 26 matches and scored two goals in all competitions, including appearances in theUEFA Europa League. Tottenham reached theEFL Cup final that season but were defeated byManchester City.
Following the arrival ofAntonio Conte, Sánchez featured regularly as the right-sided centre-back in a back three. He scored a 96th-minute header in a 1–0 away win overWatford on 1 January 2022 from aSon Heung-min free-kick,[33] and also found the net againstNorwich City in December 2021.[34] He made 32 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice, as Tottenham finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League.[35]
During his final season, Sánchez made 24 appearances across all competitions, including the Champions League group stage.[36] He captained Tottenham for the first time in an FA Cup tie againstPreston North End.
By the end of his six-year tenure, Sánchez had made 207 competitive appearances and scored five goals for the club before transferring toGalatasaray[37]
On 4 September 2023, Turkish championsGalatasaray announced the permanent signing of Davinson Sánchez fromTottenham Hotspur for a reported €9.5 million fee, payable over several years, together with the loan of his former Spurs teammate Tanguy Ndombele.[38][39][40]Tottenham confirmed his departure the same day, noting that he had made over 200 competitive appearances for the London club before the move.[41]
Sánchez was registered to reinforce Galatasaray’s defence for the2023–24 Süper Lig and the2023–24 UEFA Champions League group stage, joining a back line that already includedAbdülkerim Bardakcı andVictor Nelsson. He made his league debut in September 2023, shortly after signing, and was quickly used by coachOkan Buruk for his recovery pace and experience in high-level European matches.[42]
Sánchez scored his first goal for Galatasaray on 7 October 2023 in an away match againstAntalyaspor, finishing inside the area after a cross fromMauro Icardi to give Galatasaray a 1–0 lead; Icardi later added the second to seal a 2–0 victory.[43][44][45] That goal was his only confirmed league goal of the 2023–24 campaign and his first in Turkish football.
During the same month, Sánchez started in Galatasaray’s 3–2 away win overManchester United F.C. in the Champions League, playing on the right of a two-man central defence; the Turkish champions came from behind twice and won through a late goal from Icardi.[46][47] His role in Europe was mainly defensive — covering in transition and defending the box — while attacking contributions came almost exclusively from set plays.
Sánchez remained in the starting rotation through the spring of 2024 and was part of the squad that clinched Galatasaray’s 24th Turkish league title with a 3–1 win overKonyaspor on 26 May 2024, finishing ahead ofFenerbahçe in what Turkish media described as a record-breaking season for points.[48][49][50][51] For that season he finished with one league goal (vs Antalyaspor), several starts in the league and Champions League, and a domestic championship medal. Because he arrived after the 2023 Turkish Super Cup dispute, he was not a goalscorer in that fixture, but he was part of the title-winning squad that season.[52]
Sánchez entered the2024–25 Süper Lig as an established starter for Okan Buruk alongside Bardakcı, with Galatasaray looking to defend their title and return to theUEFA Champions League league phase. Turkish outlets in late 2024 noted that he continued to start regularly but also served a one-match suspension in November 2024 due to yellow-card accumulation, indicating he was playing a high volume of minutes at centre-back. In European competition he was again used mainly as a defender — UEFA’s own match log for 2025 shows him playing full 90-minute games without scoring, consistent with his role as a centre-back.[53]
Galatasaray went on to retain the league, giving Sánchez back-to-back Süper Lig titles with the club.[54]
By 2025 he was still listed asGalatasaray’s no.6 and a regular in their Champions League squad.[55]
In November 2011, Sánchez was called up to dispute the2011 South American U-15 Championship, where his team finished as runner-up behind Brazil; Sánchez was appointed as his team's captain for the tournament.[56][57]
Sánchez represented Colombia U-17 side at the2013 South American U-17 Championship, where he appeared twice in the group stage.[58]
On 6 January 2015, he was included inCarlos Restrepo's 23-man list for the2015 South American U-20 Championship, where Colombia secured qualification to the2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and theOlympic play-off forRio 2016 after finishing runner-up.[59] On 6 May, Sánchez was named in Colombia final 23-man team for the U-20 World Cup, where his team exited the tournament in the round of 16 after falling to theUnited States.[60]
Despite not disputing the Olympics, Sánchez appeared in both legs for the play-off series against theUnited States, in which Colombia qualified to the Olympics for the first team sinceBarcelona 1992 after finishing the series 3–2 on aggregate.[61][62]
Colombia managerJosé Pékerman called up Sánchez for a training squad with the seniorColombia squad in February 2016.[63] On 26 August 2022, he was named in Colombia's squad for the2018 World Cup qualifiers againstVenezuela andBrazil.[64] On 19 November, Sánchez made his debut againstArgentina.[65]
In May 2018, he was named in Colombia's preliminary 35-mansquad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[66] In June 2018, he was named in Colombia's final 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[67] He played in all three group matches and their round of 16 match againstEngland.[68]
In June 2019, he started in three of the four games at the2019 Copa América, helped the team keep a clean sheet and beat Argentina for the first time in 12 years.[69] The team however lost in the quarter-final against Chile after a penalty shoot-out.[70]
On 10 June 2021, Sánchez was included inReinaldo Rueda's 23-man squad for the2021 Copa América inBrazil.[71] He featured in all of Colombia's matches as the team secured bronze after defeatingPeru 3–2 for thethird-place playoff.[72]
On 19 November 2022, Sánchez scored his first international goal in a 2–0 friendly win againstParaguay.[73]
On 14 June 2024, Sánchez was named into 26-mansquad for the2024 Copa América. During the competition, Sánchez played every single match in the competition, and helped the team to get into aCopa América final after 23 years, scoring a single goal, but being essential in the tournament.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Atlético Nacional | 2013 | Categoría Primera A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | Categoría Primera A | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Categoría Primera A | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | Categoría Primera A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14[c] | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||
| Total | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |||
| Jong Ajax | 2016–17 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Ajax | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 12[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 6 | |
| 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2[f] | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 7 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2017–18 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[f] | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8[f] | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[f] | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10[e] | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3[g] | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 143 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 36 | 0 | — | 207 | 5 | |||
| Galatasaray | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[h] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 31 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 9[e] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 5 | ||
| 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[f] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 64 | 6 | 7 | 2 | — | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 266 | 15 | 24 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 83 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 389 | 22 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2022 | DRV PNK Stadium,Fort Lauderdale, United States |  Paraguay | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 28 June 2024 | State Farm Stadium,Glendale, United States |  Costa Rica | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2024 Copa América |
| 3 | 15 October 2024 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez,Barranquilla, Colombia |  Chile | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Atlético Nacional[76]
Galatasaray
Individual
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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