Raúl Loaiza

Raúl Alberto Loaiza Morelos (born 8 June 1994) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Defensa y Justicia.

Club career
Having spent part of his youth career with Academia Crespo, Loaiza began his senior career with Patriotas of Categoría Primera A. His professional debut came on 2 February 2013 during a 1–1 draw with Boyacá Chicó, which was the first of thirteen appearances in all competitions during the 2013 Categoría Primera A season. He scored two goals in the subsequent campaign, notably netting his first in a win against Atlético Huila in February 2014; the other came two months later in a 2–2 versus Envigado. He remained with Patriotas for the next three campaigns, taking his total appearance tally for them to one hundred and twenty-nine.

2017 saw Atlético Nacional complete the signing of Loaiza. Thirty-one appearances followed across 2017 and 2018. In December 2018, Loaiza agreed a loan move to San Lorenzo of the Argentine Primera División; effective from January 2019. He played seventeen times for them. On 25 July, Loaiza penned a permanent contract with fellow Argentine top-flight team Defensa y Justicia; signing for three years.

International career
Loaiza represented the Colombia U23s at international level under manager Carlos Restrepo. He was part of the squad that won a 2015 international friendly tournament in China. In May 2019, Loaiza received his first call-up to the senior team from Carlos Queiroz ahead of the Copa América in Brazil.

Career statistics
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Honours
Atlético Nacional
Categoría Primera A: 2017 Apertura
Copa Colombia: 2018

References

External links

Category:1994 births
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Cartagena, Colombia
Category:Colombian footballers
Category:Colombia youth international footballers
Category:Association football midfielders
Category:Colombian expatriate footballers
Category:Categoría Primera A players
Category:Argentine Primera División players
Category:Patriotas Boyacá footballers
Category:Atlético Nacional footballers
Category:San Lorenzo footballers
Category:Defensa y Justicia footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in Argentina
Category:Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina