Lady Fern – Athyrium filix-femina

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mele and the second or maternal family name is Castañero.

Santiago Andrés Mele Castañero (born 6 September 1997) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Categoría Primera A club Atlético Junior and the Uruguay national team.[1][2]

Club career

A youth academy graduate of Fénix, Mele made his professional debut on 30 August 2016 in a 1–0 loss against Cerro.[3]

On 4 September 2017, Turkish top division club Osmanlıspor announced the signing of Mele on a five-year deal.[4] He was immediately loaned out to second division club Ankaragücü for 2017–18 season.[5] However, with Korcan Çelikay and Altay Bayındır ahead of him in pecking order, he didn't receive any playing minutes.[6]

Mele's loan was cut short in following January and he subsequently got loaned out to Spanish third division side Lleida Esportiu.[7] With Diego Rivas Rego as first-choice goalkeeper, Mele failed to find playing minutes again.

Two years after joining the club, Mele made his debut for Osmanlıspor on 17 August 2019 in a 2–1 win against Boluspor.[8]

International career

Mele is a former Uruguay youth international. He was part of Uruguay under-20 team which won the 2017 South American U-20 Championship and finished fourth at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[2] He was also part of the Uruguay under-22 team which finished fourth at the 2019 Pan American Games.[9]

On 21 October 2022, Mele was named in Uruguay's 55-man preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[10] He made his senior team debut on 28 March 2023 in a 2–1 win against South Korea.[11]

In June 2024, Mele was named in Uruguay's 26-man squad for the 2024 Copa América.[12]

Career statistics

Club

As of 26 March 2021[1]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fénix 2016 Uruguayan Primera División 6 0 — — 6 0
2017 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Osmanlıspor 2017–18 Süper Lig 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2018–19 TFF First League 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2019–20 13 0 0 0 — 13 0
Total 13 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
Ankaragücü (loan) 2017–18 TFF First League 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Lleida Esportiu (loan) 2017–18 Segunda División B 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Plaza Colonia 2020 Uruguayan Primera División 19 0 — 2 0 21 0
Career total 38 0 0 0 2 0 40 0

International

As of match played 26 March 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Uruguay 2023 3 0
2024 1 0
Total 4 0

Honours

Atlético Junior

Uruguay U20

Uruguay

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c Santiago Mele at Soccerway
  2. ^ a b "1 - Santiago Mele - AUF". Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Fénix vs. Cerro - 30 August 2016". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Uruguaylı kaleci Santiago Mele Osmanlıspor'da". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Osmanlıspor, Uruguaylı kaleci Mele'yi aldı, Ankaragücü'ne kiraladı". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  6. ^ Santiago Mele, atajando en la locura turca elobservador.com.uy
  7. ^ "El golero Santiago Mele dejó Turquía y arregló en el Lleida Esportiu de España". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Osmanlıspor vs. Boluspor - 17 August 2019". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Convocados para los Panamericanos de Lima 2019". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Selección: Diego Alonso entregó la lista de 55 reservados para el Mundial de Catar" (in Spanish). 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Así fue el debut de Santiago Mele en el arco de la Selección Uruguaya". 28 March 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Uruguay presentó los 26 convocados para la Copa América, con Luis Suárez en la lista". 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Uruguay beats Canada on penalties to finish CONMEBOL Copa América™ in 3rd Place". 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Se definieron los Premios AUF anuales 2021". 28 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  • Profile at the Uruguayan Football Association website (in Spanish)
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