Cristhian Mosquera
Spanish footballer (born 2004)
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Cristhian Andrey Mosquera Ibargüen (born 27 June 2004) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays mainly as a centre-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Spain national team.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristhian Andrey Mosquera Ibargüen[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 June 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Alicante, Spain | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2013 | Carolinas | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Hércules | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Valencia | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Valencia B | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2025 | Valencia | 82 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Arsenal | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Spain U15 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Spain U16 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Spain U18 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Spain U19 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Spain U21 | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Spain U23 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Spain | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:04, 24 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Early life
Born in Alicante, Valencian Community to Colombian parents, Mosquera first played basketball in his hometown, before joining futsal team San Blas Cañavate, as his cousin was playing there and they were missing a player for a youth tournament. Having later moved to play in Carolines Altes-based team SCD Carolinas, he eventually joined the city main football club, Hércules CF.[3][4][5][6]
Cristhian has a younger brother named Yulian Mosquera, born in 2011, who plays for Valencia's Academy and Spain U15s, and is considered a talented prospect in Spain.[7] When Cristhian signed with Arsenal, club manager Mikel Arteta jokingly made Yulian take a photo with a mock Arsenal contract.[8]
Club career
Valencia
Mosquera joined Valencia CF's youth setup in 2016, aged 12.[3][5][9] On 22 August 2020, while still in the Juvenil A squad, he renewed his contract with the club until 2023.[10] He made his senior debut with the reserves on 4 September 2021, starting in a 3–1 Tercera División RFEF home win over CD Castellón B.[11]
Having already featured on the bench for a few Liga fixtures that season,[4][12][13] he made his first team debut on 16 January 2022, starting in a 1–0 away win over CD Atlético Baleares, for the season's Copa del Rey. Playing every minutes of the game in the center of a 3-men defense, his coach José Bordalás praised him as the best on the field that night.[14][15][16] At the age of 17 years, six months and 23 days, he became the eight-youngest player in the club's history, and the youngest centre-back.[3][5][16][17]
Set to further renew his contract with the Che until 2025,[18][19] Mosquera made his La Liga debut on 19 January 2022 by starting in a 1–1 draw against Sevilla, again impressing in the axis of the defense for what was a difficult game against the likes of Rafa Mir.[9][20][21] This made him the fourth-youngest footballer to ever play in La Liga with Los murciélagos, surpassing the records set by Ferran Torres, Lee Kang-in and Yunus Musah.[22][23]
In August 2023, Mosquera was definitely promoted to the main squad of the Che.[24] On 9 February 2025, he netted his first career goal in a 2–0 win over Leganés in La Liga.[25]
Arsenal
On 24 July 2025, Mosquera joined Premier League club Arsenal on a long-term contract for an initial fee believed to be £13 million.[26][27] He made his Arsenal debut against Leeds United on 23 August 2025 in Emirates Stadium, coming on for Jurrien Timber in the 64th minute and securing a 5–0 victory for the hosts.[28] With William Saliba picking up an injury five minutes into the game against Liverpool at Anfield, Mosquera came on as a substitute, with his performance being a positive despite Arsenal losing the game.[29] He also started the following match, a 3–0 victory against Nottingham Forest, receiving praise by both fans and pundits.[30]
International career
Mosquera represented Spain at under-15,[31] under-16[10][32] and under-18 levels,[3][17][33] winning a friendly tournament with the latter in October 2021, against Turkey, Romania and Portugal.[12][34][35]
He also holds a Colombian passport, which made him eligible to play for Los Cafeteros as well as Spain.[3][5][9]
Style of play
Mainly playing as a centre-back during his time at Valencia's academy, Mosquera can also play as a full-back on both sides.[10] When he made the switch from futsal to association football as a youngster, he actually played as a winger, where he first showed his athletic abilities.[5]
Mosquera was known for his strong physical presence at a young age, as well as being noted for his speed, anticipation and ability to play the ball as a defender, helping his teams move forward.[3][4][6][12][16] Miguel Ángel Angulo – his coach at Valencia Mestalla – described Mosquera's profile as characterized by his "physical condition and good technical qualities".[4]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 May 2026[36]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valencia B | 2021–22 | Tercera División RFEF | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Segunda Federación | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||||
| Valencia | 2021–22 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 82 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 90 | 1 | ||||
| Arsenal | 2025–26 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9[c] | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| Career total | 116 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 138 | 1 | ||
- Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | |||
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |