Mauricio Isla

Mauricio Isla

Footballer

AI

He has been a member of the Chile men's national football team since 2007, contributing to their international successes.

Isla represented Chile at various youth levels, including the under-20 team during the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he gained international recognition.

Known for his pace and stamina, Isla has been instrumental in turning possession-based games into quick counter-attacks.

Biography

Early Life

Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla was born in Chile and began his football journey at a young age. He started with Huracán de Maipo in Buin before joining the youth ranks of Universidad Católica in 1999. Initially playing as a forward, Isla's lack of height led to a position change to defender, where he excelled enough to earn a call-up to the first team in 2006. However, he did not make an official appearance and was sent back to the youth team in 2007.

Career

Isla's breakthrough came during the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where his impressive performances caught the attention of Udinese Calcio, who signed him on a five-year contract. He made his professional debut on December 19, 2007, and quickly established himself as a versatile player capable of both defending and attacking. His time at Udinese was marked by a notable 2010-11 season, where he played a crucial role in helping the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

In 2012, Isla transferred to Juventus FC, where he continued to develop his skills. His career also included stints at clubs like Queens Park Rangers, Olympique de Marseille, and Fenerbahçe Istanbul. In 2020, he joined Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, followed by a return to Chile with Universidad Católica and later Club Atlético Independiente. As of 2024, he is set to play for Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo.

Isla has been a key player for the Chile national team since 2007, participating in various international tournaments and showcasing his versatility on the field. His ability to play as a right-back, midfielder, and even in offensive roles has made him a valuable asset to his teams.

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Career & Clubs

Club career

Early years

As a child, Isla was with Huracán de Maipo from Buin. Next, he started in the youth ranks of Universidad Católica in 1999 as a forward. However his lack of height caused him to switch positions to defender, as U Católica lacked quality youth defenders. Isla played well enough in the new position to earn a call-up to the first team in 2006, but never played an official match and in 2007, coach José del Solar sent him back to the youth team.

Udinese

Isla had a notable performance during the summer of 2007 in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and was thereafter signed by Udinese of the Serie A in Italy on a five-year contract. He can both defend and attack and has been known to turn innocent possession-based games into quick-paced counter-attacks with ease. His technique is well accompanied by a surprising pace and stamina. Isla made his professional debut on 19 December 2007 versus Palermo in the Coppa Italia. On 8 March 2008, Isla played his first game as a starter in Serie A also against Palermo, a game which ended in a 1–1 draw. After the departure of Simone Pepe, Isla often played as a right wing-back in a 3–5–2 formation during Udinese's 2010–11 Serie A campaign, due to a long-term injury to Dušan Basta. In that season, he was instrumental in helping Udinese finish fourth, thus gaining qualification to the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League play-off round.

Juventus

On 15 June 2012, Juventus announced Isla's arrival to a medical…

International career

Youth

Isla took part with Chile at under-15 level in the 2004 South American Championship and with Chile U17 in the 2005 South American Championship.

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

Isla took part with Chile U20 in the 2007 South American Youth Championship, where Chile qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. During the U-20 World Cup Isla was noticed worldwide for his skill with the ball and versatility. Isla was an integral part of the team that finished in third place. In the quarterfinal game versus Nigeria, Isla played defender, midfield, and forward due to a number of injuries to other squad members. The game went into extra time after finishing scoreless in regulation and in the added time, Chile scored four goals. Two of the goals came from Isla, one from the penalty spot. After each goal Isla ran over to the Chilean telecast camera (which was marked by a Chilean flag) and dedicated his goals to his grandmother and aunt, who was pregnant. This tournament and his performance in it led Isla to be transferred to Serie A team Udinese before his professional debut in the Chilean league, a very rare occurrence.

Senior

New Chilean coach Marcelo Bielsa called Isla up at the age of 19 for his first full Chile senior squad international cap in September 2007 in a friendly against Switzerland versus his club-mate Gökhan Inler. He started as a center midfielder. This was his debut as a professional player, before making his first team debut on Udinese.…

Style of play

Isla primarily plays on the right flank as a wing-back, but he has also been deployed as a full-back or as a midfielder, both centrally and on the wing. He has occasionally played in defensive and offensive midfield roles.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 July 2025

International

As of match played 8 February 2025

Chile's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Isla goal.

National team
Chile
Club
Udinese Calcio (2007–2012)
Club
Cagliari Calcio (2016–2017)
Club
Juventus FC (2012–2016)
Club
Queens Park Rangers F.C. (2014–2015)
Club
Olympique de Marseille (2015–2016)
Club
Chile men's national football team (2007–2025)
Club
Chile national under-20 football team (2007–2007)
Club
Chile national under-17 football team (2005–2005)
Club
Fenerbahçe Istanbul (2017–2020)
Club
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (2020–2022)
Club
Club Deportivo Universidad Católica (2022–2023)
Club
Club Atlético Independiente (2023–2024)
Club
Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo (2024–2025)
League
Premier League

Clubs

Played together with

Archive

Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Description

Chilean association football player

Position

full-back

Extract from Wikipedia

Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a right-back and midfielder.

▸ Source: Wikipedia
All links
Official Website

Discussion

Opinions of fans — not verified facts.