Ángel Mena
{{short description|Ecuadorian footballer (born 1988)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{family name hatnote|Mena|Delgado|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ángel Mena
| image = Ecu tren (3) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Mena with Ecuador in 2015
| fullname = Ángel Israel Mena Delgado{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce44/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Ecuador (ECU) |publisher=FIFA |page=10 |date=15 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2022}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|01|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Guayaquil, Ecuador
| position = Winger
| currentclub = Orense
| clubnumber = 13
| youthyears1 = 2004–2007
| youthclubs1 = Emelec
| years1 = 2007–2016
| clubs1 = Emelec
| caps1 = 249
| goals1 = 68
| years2 = 2010
| clubs2 = → Deportivo Cuenca (loan)
| caps2 = 30
| goals2 = 5
| years3 = 2017–2018
| clubs3 = Cruz Azul
| caps3 = 52
| goals3 = 10
| years4 = 2019–2024
| clubs4 = León
| caps4 = 187
| goals4 = 70
| years5 = 2024
| clubs5 = Pachuca
| caps5 = 5
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2025–
| clubs6 = Orense
| caps6 = 6
| goals6 = 1
| nationalyears1 = 2015–
| nationalteam1 = Ecuador
| nationalcaps1 = 62
| nationalgoals1 = 8
| pcupdate = 5 April 2025
| ntupdate = 15 November 2024
}}
Ángel Israel Mena Delgado (born 21 January 1988) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Orense and the Ecuador national team.
Club career
=Emelec=
Mena had extended his contract until 2017 with Club Sport Emelec. He played in 129 games for the national championship and scored 25 goals, according to records of the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF).{{cite web | last=Universo | first=El | title=Ángel Mena seguirá en Emelec hasta el 2017 | website=El Universo | date=24 February 2015 | url=http://www.eluniverso.com/deportes/2015/02/24/nota/4588906/angel-mena-seguira-emelec-hasta-2017 | language=es | accessdate=7 March 2015}}
He debuted in the first division in 2007. He scored his first official goal on 16 March 2008 at the Técnico Universitario.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
In 2010, he was loaned to Deportivo Cuenca. In 2011, he returns to Club Sport Emelec, and was champion in 2013 and 2014.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
After scoring 14 goals as Emelec won the 2014 championship, Mena extended his contract with the club for two years in February 2015.{{cite web|publisher=El Telegrafo|title=El 'Ángel' se queda en Emelec|url=http://www.telegrafo.com.ec/futbol-nacional/item/el-angel-se-queda-en-casa.html|language=Spanish|date=25 February 2015}} Mena scored the first goal in the 2014 Ecuadorian Serie A season final match against Barcelona SC, winning 3–0.
=Cruz Azul=
In 2017 Mena joined Mexican side Cruz Azul. On 12 February Mena scored an impressive free-kick goal against Santos Laguna which earned Cruz Azul a 2–2 draw.{{cite web|title=Golazo de Ángel Mena con el Cruz Azul|date=13 February 2017|accessdate=17 March 2017|url=http://www.eluniverso.com/deportes/2017/02/13/nota/6046720/golazo-angel-mena-cruz-azul|publisher=El Universo}}
International career
In April 2014, being in Emelec, Mena was first called up to the Ecuador national football team, led by coach Reinaldo Rueda, for a microcycle. Mena was called for Ecuador's provisional 30-man squad for World Cup 2014 in Brazil.{{cite web | title=Valencia named in Ecuador World Cup squad | website=ITV – Player, TV Guide, ITV, ITV2, catchup, X Factor, Vera, Coronation Street, Emmerdale | date=14 May 2014 | url=http://www.itv.com/worldcup/valencia-named-in-ecuador-world-cup-squad | accessdate=7 March 2015}}
Later in 2014, the interim coach of the Ecuador national team, Sixto Vizuete called up Mena to play friendly matches against Bolivia and Brazil.{{cite web | last=juarango | first=Juan Arango – | title=Ecuador makes callup for Bolivia and Brazil friendlies | website=Soccerly | date=22 August 2014 | url=http://soccerly.com/article/juarango/ecuador-makes-callup-for-bolivia-and-brazil-friendlies | accessdate=7 March 2015}} However, Mena suffered an injury that prevented him playing with the national team.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
Mena made his debut on 28 March 2015 in a match against Mexico, coming in as a sub for Jefferson Montero.
Mena was selected in the 23 player Ecuador squad for the Copa América Centenario.{{cite web|url=http://www.ecuafutbol.org/web/noticia.php?idn=19002&idc=21#.VyPhytThDIW|title=PRE NÓMINA DE ECUADOR PARA LA COPA AMÉRICA CENTENARIO|work=www.ecuafutbol.org|access-date=29 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625122859/http://www.ecuafutbol.org/web/noticia.php?idn=19002&idc=21#.VyPhytThDIW|archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}}
Mena was selected in the 23-man Ecuador squad for the 2019 Copa América.{{cite web|url=http://www.ecuafutbol.org/web/noticia.php?idn=53303&idc=11#.XOPJQtThArh|title=LOS 23 CONVOCADOS DE ECUADOR PARA COPA AMÉRICA DE BRASIL 2019|publisher=FEF|date=20 May 2019|language=es}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Mena was selected in the 28 player Ecuador squad for the 2021 Copa América.{{cite tweet|author=Ecuadorian Football Federation|user=LaTri|number=1402825519754797058|title=¡Y los convocados son! Estos son los elegidos por el DT #GustavoAlfaro para encarar un desafío continental: la @CopaAmerica.|date=9 June 2021|access-date=9 June 2021|language=es}}
Mena was named in the Ecuadorian squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.{{cite tweet |author=Ecuador national football team |author-link=Ecuador national football team |user=LaTri |number=1592288685797494784 |date=14 November 2022 |title=Aquí están los 26 jugadores elegidos por el DT Gustavo Alfaro para jugar la Copa Mundial FIFA, estamos listos para hacer historia |trans-title=Here are the 26 players chosen by head coach Gustavo Alfaro to play the FIFA World Cup, we are ready to make history. |language=es |access-date=14 November 2022}}
Mena was called up to the final 26-man Ecuador squad for the 2024 Copa América.{{cite web|url=https://www.eluniverso.com/deportes/futbol/ecuador-presenta-lista-oficial-para-la-copa-america-gonzalo-plata-y-robert-arboleda-quedaron-relegados-nota/|title=Ecuador presenta lista oficial para la Copa América: Gonzalo Plata y Robert Arboleda quedaron relegados|trans-title=Ecuador presents official roster for Copa America: Gonzalo Plata and Robert Arboleda left off the list|publisher=El Universo|date=29 May 2024|language=es}}
Personal life
Mena is married to Shirley Posligua with whom he has two daughters. He and his family are devout Christians. Mena is good friends with fellow footballer Joao Rojas with whom he shared a locker while at Emelec, the fact that Rojas played for Cruz Azul was a significant factor in motivating Mena to join the club.{{cite web|title=Ángel Mena alista su viaje a México|url=http://www.elcomercio.com/deportes/angelmena-viaje-mexico-cruzazul-futbol.html|accessdate=17 March 2017|language=Spanish|date=14 December 2016|publisher=El Comercio}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 22 October 2024}}{{Soccerway|angel-israel-mena-delgado/23168|accessdate=11 October 2014}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="11"|Emelec
|2007 |4 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2008
|Serie A |18 | 2 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 18 | 2 | |||
| 2009
|Serie A |24 | 2 | colspan="2"|— | 1{{efn|name=SUD|Appearance(s) in the Copa Sudamericana}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 25 | 2 | |||
| 2010
|Serie A |0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 2{{efn|name=LIB|Appearance(s) in the Copa Libertadores}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2011
|Serie A |36 | 6 | colspan="2"|— | 6{{efn|name=LIB}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 42 | 6 | |||
| 2012
|Serie A |21 | 2 | colspan="2"|— | 7{{efn|Four appearances and one goal in the Copa Libertadores, three appearances in the Copa Sudamericana}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 28 | 3 | |||
| 2013
|Serie A |31 | 3 | colspan="2"|— | 4{{efn|name=SUD}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2014
|Serie A |41 | 14 | colspan="2"|— | 14{{efn|Eight appearances and three goals in the Copa Sudamericana, six appearances and one goal in the Copa Libertadores}} | 4 | colspan="2"|— | 55 | 18 | |||
| 2015
|Serie A |38 | 13 | colspan="2"|— | 14{{efn|Nine appearances and three goals in the Copa Libertadores, five appearances in the Copa Sudamericana}} | 3 | colspan="2"|— | 52 | 16 | |||
| 2016
|Serie A |36 | 16 | colspan="2"|— | 9{{efn|Five appearances and two goals in the Copa Libertadores, four appearances and one goal in Copa Sudamericana}} | 3 | colspan="2"|— | 45 | 19 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!249 | 58 | colspan="2"|— | 57 | 12 | colspan="2"|— | 306 | 70 | |||
| Deportivo Cuenca (loan)
|2010 |Serie A |30 | 5 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 30 | 5 | |||
| rowspan="4"|Cruz Azul
|16 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 20 | 7 | ||
| 2017–18
|Liga MX |27 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19
|Liga MX |9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 11 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!52 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 64 | 10 | ||
| rowspan="7"|León
|Liga MX |23 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 26 | 15 | ||
| 2019–20
|Liga MX |30 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1{{efn|name=CONCACAF|Appearance(s) in the CONCACAF Champions League}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 31 | 17 | ||
| 2020–21
|Liga MX |37 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2{{efn|name=CONCACAF}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 39 | 17 | ||
| 2021–22
|Liga MX |35 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2{{efn|name=CONCACAF}} | 0 | 4{{efn|Three appearances and three goals in Leagues Cup, one appearance in Campeón de Campeones}} | 3 | 41 | 17 | |
| 2022–23
|Liga MX |30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5{{efn|name=CONCACAF}} | 3 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 | |
| 2023–24
|Liga MX |32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5{{efn|name=CONCACAF}} | 3 | 4{{efn|Three appearances and one goal in Leagues Cup, one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup}} | 1 | 41 | 10 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!187 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 213 | 82 | |
| Pachuca
|Liga MX |5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2{{efn|Appearances in Leagues Cup}} | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!523 | 141 | 15 | 3 | 72 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 622 | 171 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
{{updated|match played 14 November 2024|{{NFT}}}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
| colspan=4|Ecuador | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 | 3 |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 |
| 2021 | 15 | 1 |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 |
| 2023 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 61 | 8 |
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Ángel Mena | ||||||
| scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"|1 | 24 March 2016 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador | {{fb|PAR}} | align="center"|2–2 | align="center"|2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| align="center"|2 | 9 June 2019 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States | {{fb|MEX}} | align="center"|1–1 | align="center"|2–3 | Friendly |
| align="center"|3 | 24 June 2019 | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | {{fb|JPN}} | align="center"|1–1 | align="center"|1–1 | 2019 Copa América |
| align="center"|4 | 13 October 2019 | Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain | {{fb|ARG}} | align="center"|1–3 | align="center"|1–6 | Friendly |
| align="center"|5 | 12 November 2020 | Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia | {{fb|BOL}} | align="center"|2–1 | align="center"|3–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| align="center"|6 | 17 November 2020 | Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito, Ecuador | {{fb|COL}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|6–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| align="center"|7 | 27 June 2021 | Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil | {{fb|BRA}} | align="center"|1–1 | align="center"|1–1 | 2021 Copa América |
| align="center"|8 | 21 November 2023 | Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito, Ecuador | {{fb|CHI}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Emelec
Cruz Azul
- Copa MX (1): Apertura 2018
León
- Liga MX (1): Guardianes 2020
- CONCACAF Champions League (1): 2023
- Leagues Cup (1): 2021
Individual
- Serie A Assist Leader: 2014
- Liga MX Golden Boot: Clausura 2019
- Liga MX Offensive Midfielder of the Year: 2018–19
- Liga MX Best XI: Clausura 2019, Guardianes 2020,{{cite web|title=Liga MX: León, Pumas y Cruz Azul se 'roban' el 11 ideal del Guardianes 2020|url=https://www.soyfutbol.com/ligas/Liga-MX-Leon-Pumas-y-Cruz-Azul-se-roban-el-11-ideal-del-Guardianes-2020-20201216-0041.html|work=SoyFutbol.com|language=Spanish|first=Luis|last=De la Cruz|date=16 December 2020}} Apertura 2021
- Liga MX All-Star: 2021{{cite web|title=Liga MX unveils its final roster for the 2021 All-Star game|url=https://en.as.com/en/2021/07/18/soccer/1626635244_954732.html|date=19 July 2021|work=AS}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Liga MX player|123318/angel-israel-mena-delgado|Ángel Israel Mena Delgado}}
- {{Soccerway|angel-israel-mena-delgado/23168}}
- {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090030/http://www.fifa.com/world-match-centre/copalibertadores/news/newsid/255/514/9/ |title=Brazilian pair collect tough wins }}
{{Navboxes
| title = Ecuador squads
| bg = #FFDD00
| fg = #034EA2
| bordercolor = #ED1C24
| list1 =
{{Ecuador squad Copa América Centenario}}
{{Ecuador squad 2019 Copa América}}
{{Ecuador squad 2021 Copa América}}
{{Ecuador squad 2022 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Ecuador squad 2024 Copa América}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| bordercolor = black
| list1 =
{{Leagues Cup top scorers}}
{{Primera División de México top scorers}}
{{2018–19 Liga MX Best XI}}
{{2020–21 Liga MX Best XI}}
{{2021–22 Liga MX Best XI}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mena, Angel}}
Category:Footballers from Guayaquil
Category:21st-century Ecuadorian sportsmen
Category:Ecuadorian Christians
Category:Men's association football wingers
Category:Ecuadorian men's footballers
Category:Ecuador men's international footballers
Category:C.S. Emelec footballers
Category:C.D. Cuenca footballers
Category:Cruz Azul footballers
Category:Club León footballers
Category:Ecuadorian Serie A players
Category:Copa América Centenario players
Category:2019 Copa América players
Category:2021 Copa América players
Category:2022 FIFA World Cup players
Category:2024 Copa América players
Category:CONCACAF Champions Cup–winning players
Category:Ecuadorian expatriate men's footballers