Alexander Martín Callens Asín (born 4 May 1992) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Peru national team.
 Callens with New York City in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Martín Callens Asín[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 May 1992[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Callao, Peru | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | AEK Athens | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport Boys | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Sport Boys | 30 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Real Sociedad B | 86 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Real Sociedad | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Numancia | 39 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | New York City | 164 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Girona | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | → AEK Athens (loan) | 25 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | AEK Athens | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Peru U20 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013– | Peru | 52 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 24 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:20, 20 November 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
editSport Boys
editBorn in Callao, Callens played youth football with Sport Boys.[3] He made his professional debut on 18 April 2010 in a 3–1 loss at León de Huánuco in the Peruvian Primera División,[4] and scored his first goal on 19 June in another away defeat, 2–1 against Inti Gas Deportes.[5]
Spain
editCallens signed a two-year contract with Real Sociedad from Spain in August 2011, being assigned to the reserves.[6] He went on to spend several Segunda División B seasons with the latter.[7]
On 4 December 2014, Callens made his debut with the first team, featuring the entire second half of the 0–0 draw at Real Oviedo in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.[8] On 6 June 2015, he was released.[9]
On 10 August 2015, Callens joined Segunda División side CD Numancia on a one-year deal.[10] He scored his first goal in the league the following 16 January, in a 2–0 away win over Albacete Balompié.[11]
New York City
editOn 23 January 2017, Callens terminated his contract[12] and joined New York City FC shortly after.[13][14] He scored his first goal in the Major League Soccer on 3 June, helping the hosts to beat Philadelphia Union 2–1.[15]
Callens converted his attempt in the penalty shootout victory against the Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup 2021 on 11 December, closing the 4–2 score at Providence Park.[16] On 14 September 2022, he scored from open play to open an eventual 2–0 defeat of Atlas F.C. in the Campeones Cup.[17]
Girona
editCallens returned to Spain in the 2023 January transfer window, on a two-and-a-half-year deal at Girona FC.[18] He played his first match in La Liga on 10 February, coming on as a 46th-minute substitute for Bernardo Espinosa in an eventual 2–0 away loss to Cádiz CF.[19]
AEK Athens
editOn 8 September 2023, Callens was loaned to Super League Greece club AEK Athens FC.[20] In June 2024, he signed a permanent two-year contract.[21]
International career
editCallens won his first cap for Peru on 17 April 2013, replacing Orlando Contreras in the 74th minute of a 0–0 friendly draw with Mexico held in San Francisco.[22] He scored his first goal for his country on 9 September 2014 in another exhibition game, opening the 2–0 win over Qatar.[23]
Callens was part of the squads at the 2019[24] and 2021 Copa América tournaments,[25] making five appearances in the latter for the fourth-placed team.[26][27][28][29][30]
Personal life
editIn June 2018, Callens earned a U.S. green card, which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[31]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 24 November 2024[32]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sport Boys | 2010 | Peruvian Primera División | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2011 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| Real Sociedad B | 2011–12 | Segunda División B | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||||
| 2013–14 | 35 | 2 | — | — | — | 35 | 2 | |||||
| 2014–15 | 28 | 3 | — | — | — | 28 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 86 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 5 | ||
| Real Sociedad | 2013–14 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Numancia | 2015–16 | Segunda División | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 3 | ||
| New York City | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2019 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 22 | 2 | — | 4[c] | 2 | 3[d] | 0 | 29 | 4 | |||
| 2021 | 26 | 1 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 2 | |||
| 2022 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 6 | ||
| Total | 164 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 193 | 15 | ||
| Girona | 2022–23 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| AEK Athens (loan) | 2023–24 | Super League Greece | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||
| AEK Athens | 2024–25 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[f] | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 36 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 357 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 393 | 26 | ||
- ^ Includes Copa del Rey, U.S. Open Cup
- ^ a b c Appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
- ^ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
- ^ Two appearances in MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage, one appearance in MLS Cup playoffs
- ^ Appearance in Leagues Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
edit- As of match played on 19 November 2024[33]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | |
| Total | 52 | 2 | |
- As of match played on 6 September 2024
- Scores and results list Peru's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Callens goal.[23]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 September 2014 | Abdullah bin Khalifa, Doha, Qatar |  Qatar |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2024 | Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru |  Colombia |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
editNew York City FC
References
edit- ^ "Alexander Martín Callens Asín" (in Spanish). Atotxa. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Callens". Diario AS. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Alexander Callens confesó que se retirará del fútbol con camiseta del Sport Boys" [Alexander Callens confessed he will retire from football with jersey of Sport Boys]. Infobae (in Spanish). 17 May 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "León 3 – Boys 1" (in Spanish). Dechalaca. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ "Goles con sabor a café" [Coffee-flavoured goals]. Diario Correo (in Spanish). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Alexander Callens oficializó su traspaso a la Real Sociedad de España" [Alexander Callens made transfer to Spain's Real Sociedad official] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ Sánchez, Ramón (2 June 2021). "Real Sociedad | Una inagotable cantera" [Real Sociedad | Neverending youth system]. Noticias de Gipuzkoa (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ Campos, Tomás (4 December 2014). "El Tartiere resiste" [Tartiere holds on]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ "Altas y bajas en el Sanse" [Ins and outs at Sanse] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ "Alex Callens, octavo refuerzo del C. D. Numancia 15–16" [Alex Callens, eighth addition of C.D. Numancia 15–16] (in Spanish). CD Numancia. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "El Numancia se aleja del descenso a costa del Albacete" [Numancia stay clear of relegation at the expense of Albacete]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 16 January 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Alex Callens rescinde su contrato con el C. D. Numancia" [Alex Callens terminates his contract with C. D. Numancia] (in Spanish). CD Numancia. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ Booth, Mark (27 January 2017). "NYCFC sign Alexander Callens". New York City FC. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ Stejskal, Sam (27 January 2017). "New York City sign Peruvian international center back Alexander Callens". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Chanot, Callens score late goals, NYCFC top Union". The Sports Network. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ a b "New York City FC wins first MLS Cup championship, beating Portland Timbers in penalty kicks". USA Today. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b "New York City FC beat Atlas as MLS wins Campeones Cup again". WABC-TV. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Bernad Suelves, Marc (23 January 2023). "Alexander Callens ficha por lo que resta de curso y dos más" [Alexander Callens signs for remainder of the campaign and two more]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ López Jordà, Toni (10 February 2023). "El Cádiz sale de la zona de descenso a costa de un Girona desconocido" [Cádiz leave relegation zone at the expense of unknown Girona]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "El central peruano Alexander Callens se marcha cedido al AEK de Atenas" [Peruvian stopper Alexander Callens goes to AEK Athens on loan]. Infobae (in Spanish). 8 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ Arnaoutoglou, Vangelis (24 June 2024). "ΑΕΚ μεταγραφές: Ανακοίνωσε τον Κάλενς έως το 2026" [AEK transfers: Callens announced until 2026] (in Greek). Sport 24. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Perú empató 0–0 con México en partido amistoso jugado en San Francisco" [Peru drew 0–0 with Mexico in friendly played in San Francisco] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Perú vs. Catar: la Bicolor ganó 2–0 con goles de Callens y Guerrero (VIDEO)" [Peru vs. Qatar: Bicolor won 2–0 with goals from Callens and Guerrero (VIDEO)]. La República (in Spanish). 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Perú y las novedades de Gareca para la Copa América 2019" [Peru and Gareca's new faces for Copa América 2019]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Perú en la Copa América 2021: plantel, formación, figura y cuerpo técnico" [Peru at Copa América 2021: squad, formation, star and coaching staff] (in Spanish). Goal. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Un gol en propia puerta de Yerry Mina da la victoria a Perú ante Colombia" [Yerry Mina own goal gives win to Peru against Colombia]. Sport (in Spanish). 21 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Con gol y asistencia de Lapadula, Perú empató 2–2 con Ecuador y quedó a un paso de cuartos de la Copa América" [With goal and assist from Lapadula, Peru drew 2–2 with Ecuador and are all but qualified to Copa América's last-eight] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Parrini, Victor (27 June 2021). "Peru vence Venezuela, e está nas quartas de final da Copa América" [Peru beat Venezuela, and reach Copa América quarter-finals]. Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Lavieri, Danilo; Carneiro, Gabriel (5 July 2021). "Brasil sobra no primeiro tempo, elimina Peru e vai à final da Copa América" [Brazil all over the place in first half, oust Peru and go to Copa América final] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Colombia 3–2 Peru". BBC Sport. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Alex Callens gets U.S. Green Card". Twitter. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ "A. Callens". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ Alexander Callens at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
edit
- Alexander Callens at BDFutbol
- Alexander Callens at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Alexander Callens at National-Football-Teams.com
- Alexander Callens – FIFA competition record (archived)