Santiago "Santi" Mina Lorenzo (Spanish pronunciation: [sanˈtjaɣo ˈsanti ˈmina loˈɾenθo]; born 7 December 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward.

Santi Mina
Mina with Valencia in 2019
Personal information
Full name Santiago Mina Lorenzo
Date of birth (1995-12-07) 7 December 1995 (age 28)[1]
Place of birth Vigo, Spain[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
2005–2012 Celta
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Celta B 13 (8)
2013–2015 Celta 50 (9)
2015–2019 Valencia 117 (29)
2019–2023 Celta 101 (25)
2022–2023Al Shabab (loan) 27 (6)
International career
2013 Spain U18 2 (1)
2013–2015 Spain U19 16 (6)
2015–2016 Spain U21 4 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:25, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

He spent most of his career at Celta, totalling 163 games and 42 goals across two spells. He made 268 appearances and scored 63 goals in La Liga where he also represented Valencia, transferring there for €10 million and winning the Copa del Rey in 2019.

In 2022, Mina was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual abuse committed five years earlier.

Club career

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Celta

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Born in Vigo, Galicia, Mina played youth football with hometown's RC Celta de Vigo, and made his senior debut with the reserves in the 2012–13 season, in Tercera División. On 5 January he signed a professional deal with the club, running until 2018.[2]

Mina made his first-team – and La Liga – debut for them on 16 February 2013, coming on as a substitute for Iago Aspas in the 66th minute of a 3–1 away defeat against Getafe CF.[3] He scored his first top-flight goal on 16 September, but in a 3–2 loss at Athletic Bilbao;[4] at only 17 years, 9 months and 10 days, he became the side's youngest goalscorer in the first division.[5]

On 11 April 2015, Mina scored four goals in a 6–1 home rout of Rayo Vallecano,[6] becoming the youngest player in the last 80 years to do so in the Spanish top tier and the first from Celta since 1979.[7]

Valencia

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On 4 July 2015, Mina moved to fellow league team Valencia CF after agreeing to a six-year deal for a €10 million fee.[8] He scored his first competitive goal for them on 5 December, netting four minutes from time in a 1–1 home draw against FC Barcelona.[9]

On 18 February 2016, in only the first 45 minutes, Mina scored twice and provided three assists in a UEFA Europa League last-32 tie against SK Rapid Wien, in an eventual 6–0 win also at the Mestalla Stadium (the half-time result was a competition record).[10]

Mina scored a career-best 12 league goals in 2017–18 as Valencia came fourth,[11] despite being more often than not a substitute for Simone Zaza and Rodrigo; halfway through the campaign, the trio had 12 more goals than Real Madrid's "BBC" attacking line.[12] The following season, he netted braces in Copa del Rey victories over CD Ebro (round of 32)[13] and Sporting de Gijón (last 16)[14] as his club picked up their first honour for 11 years, being unused in the 2–1 final defeat of Barcelona on 25 May 2019.[15]

Return to Celta

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After four years at the Mestalla Stadium, Mina returned to Celta on a five-year contract as Maxi Gómez moved in the opposite direction.[16] In 2020–21, he scored 12 goals in partnership with Aspas' 14;[17] this included both goals of a 2–1 win at Barcelona on 16 May to end that team's title hopes.[18]

In July 2022, Celta reached an agreement to loan Mina to Aris Thessaloniki F.C. of Super League Greece,[19] but the player refused the deal,[20] as he did with Shabab Al Ahli Club from the United Arab Emirates.[21] On 23 August, he joined the Saudi Professional League's Al Shabab FC on a one-year loan for a fee of €2.5 million and salary of €1 million.[22][23] He scored on his debut as a substitute three days later, concluding a 3–0 home win over Al Batin FC.[24]

Mina's contract was unilaterally terminated on 4 August 2023.[25] The following month, he was close to a move to Serie B club UC Sampdoria, until the fans revolted over the news.[26]

Personal life

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Mina's father, also named Santiago, was also a footballer. A defender, he played for several clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, including Celta.[27][28]

In December 2019, Mina was charged with sexual assault relating to an incident in Mojácar two years earlier.[29] He and his alleged accomplice, former Celta teammate David Goldar, were tried in March 2022.[30][31] On 4 May, Mina was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual abuse, being found not guilty of the more serious offence due to lack of violence;[32] he was ordered to pay €50,000 in compensation.[33]

The judge found it proven that the victim had returned to the footballers' caravan to spend the night with Goldar, when Mina entered undressed and blocked the exit. He then penetrated her mouth with his genitalia and her genitalia with his fingers, causing injuries. While the victim's account was consistent, Mina's testimony varied and was different to that of Goldar.[34] After his conviction, he was banished from Celta by club president Carlos Mouriño,[35] who then reintegrated him into training as a paid employee until the end of the appeals process.[23]

Career statistics

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As of match played 1 May 2022[36][37]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Celta 2012–13 La Liga 1 0 0 0 1 0
2013–14 29 2 2 1 31 3
2014–15 20 7 4 2 24 9
Total 50 9 6 3 56 12
Valencia 2015–16 La Liga 26 4 4 1 6[a] 3 36 8
2016–17 29 6 2 0 31 6
2017–18 32 12 6 3 38 15
2018–19 30 7 5 4 10[b] 2 45 13
Total 117 29 17 8 16 5 150 42
Celta 2019–20 La Liga 34 6 2 2 36 8
2020–21 34 12 1 1 35 13
2021–22 33 7 3 2 36 9
Total 101 25 6 5 107 30
Career total 268 63 29 16 16 5 0 0 313 79
  1. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

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Valencia

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Santi Mina". Eurosport. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  2. ^ García Calvo, Lorena (5 January 2013). "El Celta blinda a Santi Mina" [Celta shield Santi Mina]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  3. ^ "Celta stay in drop zone after defeat". ESPN FC. 16 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Athletic open stadium with win". ESPN FC. 16 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Santi Mina se convierte en el goleador más joven del Celta en Primera División" [Santi Mina becomes the youngest goalscorer of Celta in Primera División]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 17 September 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  6. ^ Melero, Delfín (11 April 2015). "El Celta halla una Mina" [Celta find a Mine ("Mina" in English)]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  7. ^ "¡Cuatro goles de Santi Mina!" [Four goals from Santi Mina!]. Marca (in Spanish). 12 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Santi Mina, new Valencia CF player". Valencia CF. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  9. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (5 December 2015). "Santi Mina anima la Liga" [Santi Mina livens League]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Records tumble as Valencia thump Rapid Wien". UEFA. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  11. ^ Valero, Rafa (15 February 2021). "Santi Mina vuelve a Mestalla buscando sus mejores números como céltico" [Santi Mina returns to Mestalla in search of his best numbers as a Celta man]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  12. ^ Valle, Conrado (27 January 2018). "Zaza, Rodrigo y Mina llevan 12 goles más en Liga que la bbC [sic]" [Zaza, Rodrigo and Mina have 12 more La Liga goals than the BBC]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Santi Mina leads Valencia 2–1 over Ebro in Copa del Rey". EFE. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Valencia eliminate feisty Sporting from Copa del Rey". EFE. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  15. ^ a b Chowdhury, Saj (25 May 2019). "Barcelona 1–2 Valencia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  16. ^ Valero, Rafa; Clancy, Conor (14 July 2019). "Official: Santi Mina returns to Celta Vigo". Marca. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  17. ^ Valero, Rafa (23 May 2021). "Iago Aspas, el asistente de LaLiga" [Iago Aspas, LaLiga's assister]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Santi Mina double ends Barcelona LaLiga title tilt". beIN Sports. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  19. ^ Sainz, Manu (6 July 2022). "El Aris de Salónica apuesta por Santi Mina" [Aris Thessaloniki bet on Santi Mina]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Santi Mina rechaza la propuesta del Aris de Salónica" [Santi Mina turns down Aris Thessaloniki's offer]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). 7 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  21. ^ Carballo, Pablo (7 July 2022). "Julen Lobete está en Vigo para conocer las instalaciones del Celta y negociar un acuerdo" [Julen Lobete is in Vigo to get to know Celta's facilities and to negotiate an agreement]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  22. ^ "رسميا.. الشباب السعودي يضم الإسباني سانتي مينا" [Official. Al Shabab sign Spaniard Santi Mina] (in Arabic). Kooora. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  23. ^ a b Corrigan, Dermot (27 August 2022). "The case of Santi Mina: Guilty of sexual assault yet still playing football". The Athletic. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Aaron Boupendza damga vurdu! Transfer olduktan sonra şov yaptı" [Aaron Boupendza made his mark! After the transfer, he showed up]. Milliyet (in Turkish). 27 August 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  25. ^ "Comunicado oficial del RC Celta: Santi Mina" [Official statement from RC Celta: Santi Mina] (in Spanish). RC Celta. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Los aficionados de la Sampdoria bloquean el fichaje de Santi Mina" [Sampdoria fans block the signing of Santi Mina]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 September 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Santi Mina: "Mi padre no me ha visto jugar"" [Santi Mina: "My father has not seen me play"]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 15 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  28. ^ Estévez, Antonio (15 April 2015). "'Papá' Mina no va a Balaídos" ['Daddy' Mina does not go to Balaídos]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  29. ^ "La juez acerca a Santi Mina al banquillo por una presunta agresión sexual" [Judge calls Santi Mina to the dock for an alleged sexual assault]. El País (in Spanish). 2 December 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  30. ^ "El juicio contra Santi Mina por presunta agresión sexual será en marzo de 2022" [Trial against Mina for alleged sexual assault to take place in 2022]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  31. ^ "Mina y Goldar declaran que las relaciones fueron consentidas" [Mina and Goldar declare that the relations were consensual] (in Spanish). EFE. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Celta Vigo striker Santi Mina given four-year prison sentence for sexual abuse". BBC Sport. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  33. ^ Barrio, Jorge (4 May 2022). "Santi Mina, condenado a cuatro años de cárcel por abuso sexual" [Santi Mina, sentenced to prison for four years for sexual assault] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Las claves de la sentencia contra Santi Mina" [The key parts of the sentence against Santi Mina]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  35. ^ "Santi Mina no volverá a vestir la camiseta del Celta" [Santi Mina will not wear the Celta shirt again]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  36. ^ "Santi Mina". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  37. ^ Santi Mina at ESPN FC
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