John Stiven Mendoza Valencia (born 27 June 1992) 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 forward for Mexican club León. He earned two

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

for the

Colombia national football team The Colombia national football team (), nicknamed ''Los Cafeteros,'' represents Colombia in men's international Association football, football and is managed by the Colombian Football Federation, Federación Colombiana de Fútbol (), the govern ...

in 2019. Formed at

Envigado Envigado () is a city and municipality due South of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta, An ...

and loaned to América Cali and Cúcuta Deportivo, he joined Deportivo Cali in 2013. In 2014, he was signed by Chennaiyin for the inaugural

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...

season, after which he joined Corinthians, being loaned back for the second installment of the ISL. He won the Golden Boot that season, helping Chennaiyin win the ISL. Following further loans at

New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...

and

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

he signed for

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

in January 2018. Three years later, he returned to the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

with

Ceará Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...

, and subsequently represented Santos, suffering relegation with both clubs.

Club career

Colombia

Born in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Mendoza began his career at

, making his debut in the

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor due to Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a professional association football league in Colombia and the highest level of the Colombian ...

on 8 August 2010, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat to

Atlético Huila Atlético Huila is a professional Colombian association football, football team based in Neiva, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. The club was founded in 1990, making it one of the youngest professional football clubs in Colombia. ...

. He made six appearances that season, and three in the following campaign, in addition to a further three in the 2011 Copa Colombia. After loans at América Cali and Cúcuta Deportivo, Mendoza signed a two-year contract at Deportivo Cali, the club who he supports, on 18 July 2013.

Chennaiyin FC

On 1 October 2014, Mendoza signed for Chennaiyin of the newly founded

. He made his debut for the team, captaincy by

Marco Materazzi Marco Materazzi (; born 19 August 1973) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer and Association football manager, manager. Early in his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and w ...

, two weeks later in a 2–1 away win over

FC Goa Futebol Clube de Goa is an India, Indian professional association football, football club based in Fatorda, Goa, that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top tier of Football in India, Indian football. The club was established on 2 ...

, replacing marquee player Elano for the final 23 minutes. On 28 October, he scored his first goals in the league, a first-half brace in a 5–1 rout of Mumbai City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He added a third on 11 November, equalising for a 1–1 draw at

FC Pune City Football Club Pune City was an Indian professional Association football, football club based in Pune, Maharashtra, which last participated in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football league system, under licence from All Ind ...

, and a fourth eight days later in a 3–1 win over the same opponents. He finished the season with four goals from nine games as Chennaiyin won the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

, but was absent through injury as they were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2014 Indian Super League playoffs by Kerala Blasters.

Corinthians

On 19 December 2014, Mendoza returned to South America, joining Brazil's

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista Sport Club Corinthians Paulista () is a Brazilian professional sports club based in São Paulo, in the district of Tatuapé. Although it competes in multiple sports modalities, it is best known for its professional men's Association football, f ...

on a four-year deal. He made his debut on 8 February 2015 in the Paulista Derby against Palmeiras, starting in a 1–0 away win in that season's

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...

. Seventeen days later, he scored his first goal for the ''Timão'', opening a 2–0 win at Clube Atlético Linense, his only goal in seven regular season appearances. On 19 April, in the knock-out stages, he scored in the 2–2 home semi-final draw against Palmeiras, which his team lost in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. Mendoza made his

debut in the first game of the 2015 season, replacing Malcom at the end of a 1–0 win at Cruzeiro on 10 May. He scored once in ten appearances over the campaign, a consolation in a 3–1 loss at Grêmio on 4 June. Corinthians finished the season as national champions.

Loan to Chennaiyin

On 31 August 2015, Mendoza was loaned back to Chennaiyin for the 2015 season. In their opening game, away to

, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory, and five days later he scored both goals in a win over Mumbai City. His sixth goal of the campaign came on 24 October, assisted by Elano in a 2–1 home triumph over Pune City. On 21 November, he recorded his second hat-trick of the campaign, in a 4–1 win over Kerala Blasters, and three days later he opened the scoring in a 4–0 home win over Delhi Dynamos with his tenth goal of the season. Mendoza scored his eleventh of the season on 1 December, beginning a 3–0 win over Mumbai which ended their chances of the play-offs. On 12 December, in the first leg of the semi-finals, Mendoza concluded a 3–0 home win over reigning champions Atlético de Kolkata (4–2 aggregate). In the final at Goa eight days later, he won two penalty kicks; Bruno Pelissari took the first, which was blocked by Laxmikant Kattimani but he scored the rebound, however Mendoza took the second and had it saved. Losing 2–1 with three minutes remaining, Mendoza scored an added-time winner as his team won 3–2. Mendoza was named the Hero of the League and also won the Golden Boot with 13 goals, two more than second-placed Iain Hume.

Loans to New York City and Bahia

On 8 March 2016, Mendoza moved to the third continent of his career, signing a season-long loan at

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

. He made his debut five days later, playing the final 23 minutes in place of Tony Taylor in a 2–2 draw against

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

at the

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

. On 30 April, his eighth game, he scored his first goal for the team to decide a 3–2 home victory within five minutes of replacing Khiry Shelton. On 7 June 2017,

Esporte Clube Bahia Esporte Clube Bahia () is a Brazilian professional association football club based in Salvador, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Bahia. Known mainly as the ''Esquadrão de Aço'' (Steel Squadron), the club competes in the Campeo ...

confirmed the loan of Mendoza for the duration of the 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. He scored 8 goals in 31 games as the Salvador-based club came 12th, including two in a 3–0 home win over

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

on 20 August.

Amiens

On 17 January 2018, Mendoza moved to the fourth continent of his career, signing for

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

until 2021. He made his debut that same day, starting in a 1–1 home draw with

Montpellier HSC Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (; ), commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional association football, football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie. The original club was ...

. He scored twice in 13 games over the remainder of the season, starting with a consolation in a 3–2 loss at

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

×on 10 February. In the summer of 2019, Mendoza sought a transfer out of France after scoring just 4 times in 41 games for Amiens. His negotiations were abandoned due to two personal crises in his country; he was robbed at gunpoint in

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

on 19 August and his brother was shot dead in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

on 5 September. Twenty days later, he scored in 106 seconds against Bordeaux, and followed it on 28 September by opening a 1–1 draw at

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

; on 4 October he concluded his club's first-ever win over

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

by making it 3–1. The 2019–20 season was Mendoza's best in France with five goals from 15 games, but his team were relegated. On 5 December 2020, he scored twice in a 2–1

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

win at

Rodez Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...

Ceará

In late February 2021, Mendoza returned to the Brazilian top flight, signing with

until the end of 2023; the team paid €600,000 for 60% of his economic rights. He made his debut on 20 March in a goalless home draw with rivals

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, playing 81 minutes; he scored twice in nine games for the runners-up, in group wins over CSA and Sport Recife at the start of April. On 8 May, his team lost the final on penalties to Bahia, and he was one of five players sent off in a brawl at the end, being suspended for a month. His first national season with the club saw him score once in 28 games – opening a 1–1 draw on his return to Bahia on 27 October. Mendoza was the top scorer of ''Vozão'' during the 2022 season, scoring 22 goals overall, but his team suffered relegation from the top tier.

Santos

On 8 December 2022, Mendoza was announced as the new signing of Santos for the upcoming season, and signed a three-year contract with the club. He made his debut for the club the following 14 January, starting in a 2–1

home win over Mirassol. Mendoza scored his first goal for ''Peixe'' on 28 January 2023, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw against Ferroviária.

Adana Demirspor

On 5 February 2024, Santos announced the contract rescision of Mendoza, and a transfer to Turkish club Adana Demirspor; Santos also retained 20% of the player's economic rights.

International career

Mendoza represented Colombia at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria and the 2011 South American U-20 Championship in Peru. In late October 2019, following good form for Amiens, manager Carlos Queiroz called up Mendoza for the senior team, for friendlies against neighbours

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

in the United States. His debut was as a 61st-minute substitute for Luis Díaz at the

Hard Rock Stadium Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Southeastern United States, located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the Univers ...

, in a 1–0 win over the former.

Career statistics

Honours

Corinthians *

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Chennaiyin *

Individual * Indian Super League Hero of the League: 2015 *

Indian Super League Golden Boot The Indian Super League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in a season of Indian Super League, the top tier Indian Football System. For sponsorship purposes, it was known as the Alto K10 Gol ...

: 2015

References

External links

* *
ISL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Stiven 1992 births Living people Footballers from Palmira, Valle del Cauca Footballers from Valle del Cauca Department Men's association football forwards Colombian men's footballers Colombia men's under-20 international footballers Colombia men's youth international footballers 21st-century Colombian sportsmen Colombia men's international footballers Colombian expatriate men's footballers Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Colombian expatriate sportspeople in India Colombian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Colombian expatriate sportspeople in France Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in India Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Chennaiyin FC players Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players Indian Super League players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Envigado F.C. players América de Cali footballers Cúcuta Deportivo footballers Deportivo Cali footballers New York City FC players Esporte Clube Bahia players Amiens SC players Ceará Sporting Club players Santos FC players Adana Demirspor footballers Club León footballers Categoría Primera A players Categoría Primera B players Major League Soccer players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Süper Lig players Liga MX players