The young central defender, who is part of Atlético Malagueño, will be a Malaguista player for the next three seasons, and without doubt is an exponent of the Blue and Whites’ youth ranks. An international with Venezuela’s first team, he is delighted by the agreement reached with the Club: “I’m thrilled, it’s what I truly wanted. Thank God I was given the opportunity, I’m very grateful to the Club.” Villanueva adapted quickly and his progression has been meteoric, “it wasn’t difficult, I’ve been looked after so well since I arrived, always giving me support and confidence, which is what every player needs in order to adapt.” To conclude: “this year has been incredible for me and it’s not over yet. Now the Copa America is on its way, and the end of the League, and I know I’ll end on the right foot.”
Statistics and career | Mikel Villanueva
Mikel Villanueva Álvarez was born in San Cristóbal, State of Táchira (Venezuela) on 14th April 1993. He started playing football at a later age, as he was a baseball player. In 2012 he joined the Deportivo Táchira youth ranks, taking his time to reach the first team. In June 2014 he signed to ACD Lara, also in Venezuela’s First Division, where he made his goal-scoring debut, with four goals in 20 matches. In the summer of 2015, he was loaned out to Málaga CF and joined Atlético Malagueño.
In the 2015/16 season, he played 29 matches (23 in the starting-11) and scored three goals with the Blue and Whites’ reserve team, in Third Division Group 9. His good performance saw him called-up to Venezuela’s first team, the ‘vinotinto’, debuting on 20th January 2016 in a friendly against Costa Rica.
In the match that took place on 24th March against Peru, a qualifier for the Russia 2018 World Cup, he scored his first goal for his country, following a corner kick from fellow Malaguista, Juanpi Añor. To date, he has played three international games with Venezuela.
