Mauricio Isla

Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla (born 12 June 1988) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a right-back and midfielder for Argentine Primera División side Independiente and the Chile national team.

Next, he started in the youth ranks of Universidad Católica in 1999 as a forward.

However his lack of height caused him to switch positions to defender, as U Católica lacked quality youth defenders.

Isla took part with Chile at under-15 level in the 2004 South American Championship and with Chile U17 in the 2005 South American Championship.

Isla played well enough in the new position to earn a call-up to the first team in 2006, but never played an official match and in 2007, coach José del Solar sent him back to the youth team.

Isla started his career in the youth system of Universidad Católica, and later moved to Italian club Udinese in 2007, where he made his professional debut.

His performances earned him a transfer to defending Serie A Champions Juventus where he won consecutive league titles during his first two seasons with the team.

Isla has earned over 130 caps for Chile since his debut in 2007, and represented the nation in two FIFA World Cups (in 2010 and 2014) as well as five Copa América tournaments (in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021), winning the 2015 and 2016 editions.

As a child, Isla was with Huracán de Maipo from Buin.

Isla had a notable performance during the summer of 2007 in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and was thereafter signed by Udinese of the Serie A in Italy on a five-year contract.

He can both defend and attack and has been known to turn innocent possession-based games into quick-paced counter-attacks with ease.

His technique is well accompanied by a surprising pace and stamina.

Isla made his professional debut on 19 December 2007 versus Palermo in the Coppa Italia.

Isla took part with Chile U20 in the 2007 South American Youth Championship, where Chile qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

During the U-20 World Cup Isla was noticed worldwide for his skill with the ball and versatility.

Isla was an integral part of the team that finished in third place.

In the quarterfinal game versus Nigeria, Isla played defender, midfield, and forward due to a number of injuries to other squad members.

On 8 March 2008, Isla played his first game as a starter in Serie A also against Palermo, a game which ended in a 1–1 draw.

After the departure of Simone Pepe, Isla often played as a right wing-back in a 3–5–2 formation during Udinese's 2010–11 Serie A campaign, due to a long-term injury to Dušan Basta.

In that season, he was instrumental in helping Udinese finish fourth, thus gaining qualification to the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League play-off round.

On 15 June 2012, Juventus announced Isla's arrival to a medical ahead of a prospective move to join the team for the upcoming 2012–13 season.

Following his move to Juventus, Isla said moving to Juventus was his dream come true and that he was excited to join his Chilean team-mate Arturo Vidal.

Isla told TVN:"This is a dream come true: We are going to be the strongest team in Italy. It is important for me as a player, but it is also vital for my family. I have been working for years to get to this point. In Udine I became a professional. But I have always said that sooner or later I would go to a bigger club like Juve. There I can challenge for trophies. I want to play and win something important, like the Champions League."

In 2014, he was sent on loan for a season to English side Queens Park Rangers, while he also spent the next season on loan with French club Marseille.

On 6 August 2014, Isla joined Queens Park Rangers on loan for the 2014–15 Premier League season, with an option of a permanent deal at the end of the season for a reported £8 million fee.

He made his debut away against Tottenham Hotspur.

He made his home debut in the next league game against Sunderland, adapting to a new right-back role in a changed formation, helping the R's to their first league win and clean sheet of the season.

Isla adapted quickly to the Premier League and this was helped when he was joined at QPR by his national teammate and close friend Eduardo Vargas, who plays just in front of him in QPR's 4–4–2 formation.

This started to show when he provided an assist for Charlie Austin against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

After settling into life in West London, Isla signaled his intention to take up the option of making the loan permanent at the end of the season.

On 31 August 2015 Isla was loaned to Marseille by Juventus.

On 10 August 2016, Isla moved to Cagliari for a transfer fee of €4 million.

He signed a three-year contract with his new club.

On 21 July 2017, Isla signed for Turkish side Fenerbahçe on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

On 19 August 2020, Isla signed for Brazilian club Flamengo a two and a half-year contract on a free transfer.

Isla debuted for Flamengo on 30 August 2020 as a halftime substitute in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1–0 win over Santos at Vila Belmiro.

He was named the best right back in the league during the 2020 season as Flamengo won the league title.

On 21 June 2022, Universidad Católica announced the signing of Isla on a two and a half-year contract on a free transfer.

After ending his contract with Universidad Católica, in August 2023 Isla joined Argentine Primera División side Independiente.

Where he became one of the leaders in the new team of Carlos Tevez.