Gary Medel

He was sent off in the semi-final match against Argentina, when he kicked Gabriel Mercado in the 24th minute and was suspended for the third-place play-off.

Medel claimed that he was tasered by police after the match.

He came on in the 77th minute of the 2–0 win.

Gary Alexis Medel Soto (born 3 August 1987) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Vasco da Gama and the Chile national team as a centre-back and a defensive midfielder.

A full Chilean international with over 160 caps since 2007, Medel has represented the nation at two FIFA World Cups, five Copa América tournaments, and one edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup.

In March 2007, Medel made his international debut for Chile in a friendly against Argentina.

Later that year, he played a key role in Chile's third-place finish in the U-20 World Cup held in Canada.

On 20 July 2009, he joined Boca Juniors on an initial loan for US$300,000 with the option to buy for $2.5 million, with Damián Díaz being sent in the opposite direction.

Medel said of the move "This is a dream come true. It is a very important club, and one which has players which I admire a lot, Juan Román Riquelme, Martín Palermo and Sebastián Battaglia. He is my idol and has me very happy to play by his side".

Medel scored both goals in a 2–0 win in the Superclásico against River Plate on 25 March 2010.

Before he joined Sevilla, his farewell match with Boca was a friendly against River in Mar del Plata.

Medel joined Sevilla for €3 million on 28 January 2011, on a 4 1⁄2-year contract, on the same day as the club also signed Ivan Rakitić for their central midfield.

He said "I am happy to be here, I hope that everything goes well. I'm a player who puts a lot into my heart on the pitch, I hope that with my playing that I can contribute to Sevilla".

On 12 February, he made his La Liga debut, playing all 90 minutes of a 3–2 away defeat at Racing Santander.

He helped Sevilla to a 1–1 draw against FC Barcelona at home on 12 March, clearing the ball off the line twice, the second on an attempt by Lionel Messi.

Later on 12 March, he made his 100th appearance for Inter as the Nerazzurri beat Atalanta 7–1 at home.

On 11 August 2013, Cardiff City confirmed that they had signed Medel from Sevilla for a club record £11 million fee on a four-year deal.

He made his debut for the club on 17 August, in a 2–0 defeat against West Ham United.

He made his home debut at the Cardiff City Stadium on 25 August, in a 3–2 win against Manchester City.

Medel played all 90 minutes and received the fans' man of the match award.

After Cardiff's relegation, Medel joined Italian club Inter Milan for a reported £10 million fee on 9 August 2014.

The fee, which was £1 million less than what Cardiff had signed Medel for, was criticised by former striker Nathan Blake, but was justified by Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Medel made his Serie A debut for Inter on 31 August as they began the season with a goalless draw at Torino, playing the full 90 minutes.

He was part of the squad that won the 2015 Copa América (where he was named in the Team of the tournament) and the Copa América Centenario (2016).

On 31 October 2015, Medel scored his first goal for Inter to give the Nerazzurri a 1–0 victory over Scudetto rivals Roma at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

On 23 October 2016, in the 2–1 away defeat at Atalanta, Medel hit Jasmin Kurtić in the face with his left arm, an incident that was not spotted by the referee.

A day later, however, he was banned for three league games by Lega Serie A after examining TV images.

On 20 November 2016, in the Derby della Madonnina against cross-town rivals A.C. Milan, Medel played as centre-back for 37 minutes before replaced by Jeison Murillo due to a knee injury.

Medel has played club football with several teams in numerous countries, starting out with Chilean side Universidad Católica, and later playing for Argentine side Boca Juniors, Spanish side Sevilla, Premier League side Cardiff City, and Italian side Inter Milan, before moving to Beşiktaş in Turkey in 2017.

Following the match, which ended in a 2–2 draw, it was confirmed that Medel had damaged his lateral meniscus and would be sidelined until January 2017.

Medel returned to action on 28 January by playing in Inter's 3–0 home defeat of Pescara.

On 11 August 2017, Medel signed for Süper Lig champions Beşiktaş for a reported €3 million.

He signed a three-year contract.

He then moved back to Italy and joined Bologna in 2019.

He was also included in squads that finished fourth at the 2019 Copa América and as the runners-up at the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Medel joined Universidad Católica at the age of 12.

His youth team coach Mario Lepe put his name forward to join the senior ranks.

On 29 August 2019, Medel signed a three-year contract with Serie A club Bologna for a reported fee of €2.5 million.

He debuted for Bologna against rivals SPAL on 30 August 2019.

In July 2023, he returned to South america and signed with Brazilian Série A side Vasco da Gama.