Miguel Angel Borja Hernandez (born 26 January 1993) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Brazilian club Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras and the Colombian national team. Colombia
Borja began his career with Deportivo Cali, making his professional debut in 2011. That same year, he was transferred to Cucuta Deportivo, club in which he had few chances to play. He would soon be transferred again, this time to play for Categoría Primera B side, CortuluA. Borja would make a name for himself in the second division of Colombia, often being referred to as a 'fast' and 'complete goalscorer', as well as boasting impressive strength on the ball. His impressive performances with CortuluA eventually led him to becoming an alternative striker for Colombia's national under-20 team in 2013. On 17 January 2013, it was reported that Independiente Medellin had been interested in acquiring Borja's services. However, nothing was finalized and Borja was eventually sold to first division side, La Equidad. In his 2 disputable games, Borja scored 4 goals before being transferred to Serie A side Livorno. Livorno
During the summer of 2013, it was confirmed that Borja would join Italian club Livorno on loan. The loan consisted of a fee of €150.000 with an option to buy for €1.5 million. His debut for Le Triglie came on 20 October, coming off the bench in a 1-2 loss to Sampdoria. Return to Colombia
Borja was loaned to Independiente Santa Fe for the second half of 2015. That season, Borja scored ten goals in thirty-three matches. He won the 2015 Copa Sudamericana with the team (he played seven matches with no goals). For the 2016 season, he was sold to CortuluA who was 17th in the league the previous season. In the Apertura tournament of the season, Borja scored a record of nineteen goals in twenty-one matches, breaking the record of most goals scored by a player in a league tournament (since 2002, the league is divided in two tournaments, Apertura and Finalizacion, each season). He was transferred again in June 8, this time to Atlético Nacional. In July 6, during his first match for his new team, while playing against São Paulo in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, he scored twice, a feat he repeated in the second leg a week after. Then, on July 27, 2016, he went on to score the definitive goal in the final series against Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle, which Atlético Nacional ended up winning 2-1 on the aggregate. Palmeiras
On February 9, it was announced that Borja had agreed to transfer to Brazilian side Palmeiras. He signed a five-year deal for a fee believed to be around US$10.5 million. Borja became the fourth most expensive transfer of Brazilian football. |
