 Medina at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Nicolás Medina | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-06-01)1 June 2002 (age 23) | ||
| Place of birth | Moreno, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1][2] | ||
| Position | Central midfielder[2][3][4] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Estudiantes (LP) | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rayo de Malaver | |||
| 2012–2020 | Boca Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2025 | Boca Juniors | 115 | (8) |
| 2025– | Estudiantes (LP) | 31 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Argentina U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Argentina U17 | 13 | (1) |
| 2023– | Argentina U23 | 10 | (0) |
| 2024– | Argentina Olympic Team | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:12, 3 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:27, 2 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Cristian Nicolás Medina (born 1 June 2002) is an Argentine professionalfootballer who plays as acentral midfielder forEstudiantes.[5][6]
Medina had previously played forBoca Juniors.[7]
In 2012, he was chosen for a player trial at the Social and Sports Club El Fortín inMoreno at the age of 10. He joinedBoca Juniors to become a member of theclub's junior divisions, under the leadership ofDiego Mazzilli andHugo Perotti.[8] In 2013, Medina was already training with his division, where he discovered his position as a midfielder, although he also played as aforward andattacking midfielder.[9]
He debuted for Boca Juniors' first squad on February 14, 2021, againstClub de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.[10] In April of the same year, he scored his first goal for Xeneize againstClub Atlético Tucumán, assisted byCarlos Tévez. Boca won the match 3–1.[11] In that year, he joinedAgustín Almendra andAlan Varela in the starting midfield, nicknamed MVA by supporters.[12][13]
In October 2022, Medina renewed and improved his contract with Boca until December 2026.[14] That same month, he won his fourth title, the2022 Argentine Primera División championship.[15] He finished 2023 with five goals and four assists in 50 games played. On February 25, 2024, he scored his first goal in theArgentine football Superclásico againstRiver Plate, resulting in a 1–1 draw atEstadio Monumental.[16][17] In August of that year, he scored a last-minute header to earn a draw with Independiente de Mendoza.[18]
Medina was part of Argentina's U15 squad that won the2017 South American Championship under managerDiego Placente on home soil, as they defeatedBrazil in the final.[19][20] Two years later, Medina was selected byPablo Aimar'sU17s for the2019 South American Championship in Peru and the2019 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[2][21] He scored once, versusParaguay, in seven matches as they won the former competition, prior to featuring three times at the latter; as they reached the round of sixteen.[7]
Medina competed forArgentina at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[22]
Medina is primarily acentral midfielder, though is capable of playing in various positions across the midfield.[2][3][4] He was dubbed the nextFernando Gago by some Argentine media.[2][19][20][23][24]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boca Juniors | 2021 | Primera División | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 7[c] | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11[c] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 50 | 5 | ||
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 4[f] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Total | 60 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 46 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 149 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 60 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 46 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 149 | 8 | ||
Boca Juniors
Estudiantes
Argentina U15[20]
Argentina U17[7]
