Jhon Janer Lucumí Bonilla (born 26 June 1998) is a Colombian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for club

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

and the Colombia national team. A youth product of hometown club

Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful football t ...

, Lucumí made his professional football debut with the first team in 2015. After three years with the club, he transferred to

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...

side

K.R.C. Genk Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk or Racing Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four championship title ...

, where he achieved a league title along with the

Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( ; ; ), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian Pro League champions (also received the Super Cup host) and the Belgian Cup winners. If both teams are the same, ...

in his first season. In 2021, Lucumí won the

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...

before moving to

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

to play for

the following year. He was a fundamental part of the squad that won the

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

. At youth level, Lucumí was part of the Colombia U-17 squad that won gold at the

2014 South American Games The 2014 South American Games was a multi-sport event that took place in Santiago, Chile. It was the 10th edition of the ODESUR South American Games. Santiago hosted this event for the second time, the first being in 1986. Most of the events too ...

. Additionally, he represented his country at the

2015 South American U-17 Championship The 2015 South American Under-17 Football Championship (, ) was the 16th edition of the biennial international youth football tournament organized by CONMEBOL for players aged 17 and below. It was held in Paraguay from 4 to 29 March 2015. This ...

. In 2018, he received his first call-up to Colombia's senior team, however, his debut would come a year later in a friendly against

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. He has participated in three

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

's with Colombia; in 2019, in 2021, earning a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

, and in 2024, where Colombia were

runners-up A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

Club career

Deportivo Cali

Deportivo Cali Jhon Lucumí joined the youth academy of his hometown club,

, in 2007. After progressing through their ranks, he made his senior team debut for the club in 2015, featuring in the Liga Dimayor Finalización. He officially made his professional debut in the top flight on 17 February 2016, starting in a Liga Águila Apertura match against Fortaleza CEIF. During his time at

, Lucumí steadily established himself as a promising young defender. While he was part of the club's setup when they won the Liga Águila I-2015, his significant first-team involvement began in subsequent seasons. He made 8 appearances in the Liga Dimayor Finalización in 2015, 5 appearances in 2016, and 12 in 2017 in the Colombian domestic league. In the 2018 season, his final year with the club, Lucumí made 20 appearances across all competitions. This included 18 matches in the Liga Águila Apertura and two appearances in the

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...

against Danubio FC, where

advanced in the tie. He also featured in one

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

match in 2016. Lucumí's consistent performances attracted interest from European clubs. On 18 July 2018, he departed

to join Belgian club

KRC Genk Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk or Racing Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four championship title ...

Genk

On 17 July 2018, Lucumí completed a

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies * ...

to Belgian Pro League side

Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...

. In his debut 2018–19 season, Lucumí quickly established himself as a key defensive figure. He made 10 appearances in the

, 8 in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

, 2 in the Croky Cup, and 5 in the UEFA Europa League Qualifiers, contributing to Genk's triumph in winning the

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...

title. He also played in 7 Belgian Pro League

Play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

matches, bringing his total appearances for the season to 39. His strong performances also saw Genk lift the

in his first season, defeating

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

3–0 on 20 July 2019. The 2019–20 season saw Lucumí continue to feature prominently for Genk. He played 22 matches in the

. He also gained valuable experience in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

, making 6 appearances, where he scored his first goal for the club against

RB Salzburg Fußballclub Red Bull Salzburg, commonly known as simply Red Bull Salzburg, is an Austrian professional football club based in Wals-Siezenheim, that competes in the Austrian Bundesliga, the top flight of Austrian Football. Their home ground is ...

in a 6–2 away defeat on 17 September 2019. In addition, he made one appearance in the Croky Cup. He ended the season with 29 appearances and 1 goal. During the 2020–21 campaign, Lucumí made 32 appearances in the

, 3 in the Croky Cup, and 6 in the Belgian Pro League Play-offs, contributing to Genk's success in winning the

by defeating

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...

2–1 in the final on 25 April 2021. He made a total of 41 appearances that season. In his final full season, 2021–22, Lucumí played 24 times in the

, scoring his second goal for the club against Zulte Waregem in a 2–6 away defeat on 31 October 2021. He also featured in 5

matches, 2 UEFA Champions League Qualifying matches, 1 Croky Cup match, and 5 Belgian Pro League Play-offs matches, accumulating 37 appearances and 1 goal for the season. Lucumí began the 2022–23 season with Genk, making 3 appearances in the Belgian Pro League before his departure. His successful four-year stint at Genk concluded on 17 August 2022, when he transferred to

club

Bologna

On 18 August 2022, he moved to Italian club

. He made his debut on 27 August, playing a full 90 minutes in a 2–0 home defeat to

A.C. Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

. Lucumí made his first direct goal contribution for the club on 12 November 2022, in a league match against

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...

, centering a cross to Michel Aebischer who scored Bologna's first goal in a 3–0 home win. He concluded his first season (2022–23) having made 33 appearances in Serie A and one appearance in the Coppa Italia. During the 2023–24 season, Lucumí continued as a regular defender for Bologna, making 29 appearances in Serie A and featuring in two Coppa Italia matches. He played a significant role in Bologna's historic campaign, which saw the club qualify for the

for the first time in 60 years, having last participated in the 1964–65 European Cup. Lucumí scored Bologna's first goal of their

2024–25 UEFA Champions League The 2024–25 UEFA Champions League was the 70th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 33rd season since it was rebranded from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. This was the ...

campaign during a 2–1 home defeat against

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

in the

league phase League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

on 27 November 2024. He was also part of the Bologna squad that won the club's first

since 1974, securing the trophy during the 2024–25 season with a 1–0 victory against A.C. Milan.

International career

Lucumí has represented Colombia at various youth levels, including the U-17 squad. He was part of the team that won the gold medal at the

, beating Argentina 2–1 in the final. He made his Colombia national team debut on 3 June 2019, in a friendly against

, as a starter under then-manager

Carlos Queiroz Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football manager. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Iran, Colombia, Egypt and Qatar, leading ...

. Later that month, he was included in Colombia's squad for the

2019 Copa América The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 Ju ...

in Brazil, making one appearance in the group stage against Paraguay. Lucumí was also named in the Colombia squad for the

2021 Copa América The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football, football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to ...

in Brazil. Although he was part of the squad that secured a bronze medal, he did not make any appearances in the tournament. Lucumí became a more regular fixture in the national team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He has made 12 appearances in the qualification campaign as of May 2025. On 14 June 2024, Lucumí was named into the 26-man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

for the

2024 Copa América The 2024 Copa América was the 48th edition of the Copa América, the quadrennial international men's association football, soccer championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in the United Sta ...

held in the United States. He was a starter in the first match of the competition against

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

but left injured at the 25th minute due to a thigh injury. Although he returned on 10 July from his injury, he was subsequently substituted by Carlos Cuesta for the remainder of the matches in the tournament. Colombia ultimately finished as runners-up in the tournament.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Genk *

: 2018–19 *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Bologna *

: 2024–25 Individual * ''The Athletic'' Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25

References

External links

Profile
at the Bologna FC 1909 website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucumi, Jhon 1998 births Lucumí family Footballers from Cali Living people Colombian men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Colombia men's youth international footballers 21st-century Colombian sportsmen Colombia men's international footballers Deportivo Cali footballers KRC Genk players Bologna FC 1909 players Categoría Primera A players Belgian Pro League players Serie A players 2019 Copa América players 2021 Copa América players 2024 Copa América players Colombian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Italy