Santiago "Santi" Arias Naranjo is a Colombian footballer who plays as a right back for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie. La Equidad
Arias was a youth product of the La Equidad academy. He was moved into the senior squad during 2009 which led him into becoming a regular. Sporting CP
While representing the U20 national Colombian side in 2011, Arias attracted the scouts of Sporting CP, where he spent most of his playing time with the B-Squad. He occasionally made appearances with the first squad, but never broke in for a permanent spot. PSV
In early 2013, Arias was linked to the Dutch club PSV but nothing was finalized. In July 2013, Arias was once again linked to the club where both parties agreed on finalizing a deal. It was then reported that Arias signed a four-year contract and PSV paid Sporting €1.6 million for a package deal including fellow Sporting CP team-mate Stijn Schaars. Upon his arrival, Arias was handed the number 13 shirt. He made his league debut on 3 August, playing a full 90 minutes in a 2–3 away win against ADO Den Haag. He made his first direct contribution for PSV as he scored the opening goal in a 3–2 home win over FC Twente. In the 1-2 Champions League group stage loss against Bayern München, Arias scored the opening goal with a header, which possibly came from an offside position. He played on the 15 April 2018 as PSV beat rivals Ajax 3-0 to clinch the 2017-18 Eredivisie title. The title would be Arias' 5th Dutch trophy in just 5 seasons within the Netherlands. Arias would then be named the Eredivisie Player of the Year, having assisted 6 goals and scoring 3, as well as holding a 82% passing accuracy and winning 134 take ons. He was also named in the league's best XI of the season. International career
Senior
In September 2013, Arias received his first call up for Colombia's senior team to dispute the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Paraguay, following first choice Camilo Zuniga's injury. He made his debut against Paraguay and played the entire match in a 1–2 away victory at Asunción. Arias was included in Colombia's 23 man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He made three appearances in the tournament, coming on as a substitute in all of Colombia's group stage matches. The following year, Arias was included in the final squad for the 2015 Copa America. He appeared twice at the tournament, including the quarter-final 0–0 draw against Argentina where Colombia were eliminated 5–4 on penalties. He was a part of the Colombian team that finished third place at the Copa America Centenario. In June 2018 he was named in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. |
