1. Overview
Alejo Véliz, born in Gödeken, Santa Fe Province, is an Argentine professional footballer who primarily plays as a striker. His career began in his hometown, leading to his professional debut with Rosario Central in 2021. Véliz quickly rose to prominence, notably scoring the winning goal in the historic Clásico Rosarino in 2022, which significantly raised his profile and led to a record-breaking transfer to English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2023. He has also gained experience through loan spells at Sevilla and Espanyol. Internationally, Véliz has represented Argentina at the youth level, participating in significant tournaments such as the 2023 South American U-20 Championship and the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he showcased his scoring prowess.
2. Early life
Alejo Véliz was born on September 19, 2003, in Gödeken, a small town located in the Santa Fe Province of Argentina, approximately 75 mile (120 km) from the city of Rosario. His journey in football began at a very young age, as he started playing with his hometown club when he was just three years old. At the age of six, Véliz and his family relocated to Bernardo de Irigoyen, another town within Santa Fe. There, he continued his development in football, joining the Club Unión Deportivo y Cultural, where he remained and honed his skills until he was 16 years old.
3. Club career
Alejo Véliz's club career began with trials at Rosario Central in late 2019. However, his formal start with the club was delayed by over a year due to the suspension of youth competitions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once competitions resumed, Véliz quickly made his mark, progressing from youth teams to making a significant impact on the professional stage before moving to European football.
3.1. Rosario Central
Véliz made his professional debut for Rosario Central on July 23, 2021, at home against Venezuelan side Deportivo Táchira in the round of 16 of the 2021 Copa Sudamericana. He entered the match as a substitute for Alan Marinelli, contributing to a 1-0 victory. During his initial season in the Argentine Primera División, he made only a few appearances.
His breakthrough season came in 2022. On May 2, 2022, Véliz scored his first professional goal during a 2-1 away loss to Club Atlético Huracán in the Copa de la Liga. He quickly followed this up by scoring his second goal in the very next game, contributing to a 3-1 victory against Estudiantes. This match was particularly significant as it was the final game at Rosario Central Stadium for his idol and mentor, Marco Ruben. Véliz finished the 2022 season with 8 goals.
On July 21, 2022, Véliz cemented his status as a key player when he scored the sole goal in Rosario Central's Primera División victory against Newell's Old Boys in the historic Clásico Rosarino. This goal drew significant attention and marked him as a rising talent. In the 2023 season, before his transfer, Véliz had already scored 11 goals.
By July 2023, Véliz's strong performances at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup and with Rosario Central attracted interest from numerous European clubs. On August 2, 2023, it was widely reported that Rosario Central had accepted an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for 17.00 M USD, with an additional 6.00 M USD in bonuses and a 10% sell-on clause, bringing the total potential revenue to 23.00 M USD. This transfer set a new club record for Rosario Central, surpassing the previous record of 11.50 M USD for Facundo Buonanotte to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022, and 8.00 M USD for Ángel Di María to Benfica in 2007.
3.2. Tottenham Hotspur
On August 8, 2023, Véliz officially signed a six-year contract with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The transfer fee was estimated to be worth 13.00 M GBP. He made his debut for the club on September 30, 2023, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute during a 2-1 home victory against Liverpool. Véliz scored his first goal for Tottenham on December 28, 2023, in a 4-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
3.3. Loan spells
On February 2, 2024, Véliz joined Sevilla on a six-month loan deal for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Upon his arrival, he was notably assigned the number 10 shirt, a number previously worn by football legend Diego Maradona during his stint with Sevilla in the 1992-93 season.
Subsequently, on August 7, 2024, Véliz moved to La Liga club Espanyol for the 2024-25 season on another loan spell. He scored his first goal for Espanyol against Rayo Vallecano in the 96th minute, securing the club's first win of the season.
4. International career
Alejo Véliz's international career began with his call-up to the Argentina national under-20 team by coach Fernando Batista in October 2021. He received subsequent call-ups from the new U20 head coach Javier Mascherano in February 2022 and again in the spring of the same year, demonstrating his consistent presence in the youth national setup.
In January 2023, Véliz was part of the U20 squad that participated in the 2023 South American U-20 Championship held in Colombia. Argentina was unfortunately eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Despite the team's early exit, Véliz featured in all four matches, starting against both Paraguay and Peru.
In May 2023, Véliz was included in the Argentine squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was hosted by Argentina after Indonesia lost its hosting rights. He made a significant impact in this tournament, scoring his first goal of the competition on May 20 in a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan. Just three days later, he found the back of the net again, contributing to a dominant 3-0 win against Guatemala.
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rosario Central | 2021 | Primera División | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 34 | 8 | |||
| 2023 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 24 | 11 | |||
| Total | 53 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 19 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2023-24 | Premier League | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 10 | 2 | ||
| Sevilla (loan) | 2023-24 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 6 | 0 | |||
| Espanyol (loan) | 2024-25 | La Liga | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | 16 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 81 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 25 | ||
6. Honors
Individual
- Argentine Primera División Best Team: 2023 (Substitute)