Guillermo Celis

Guillermo Celis is a Colombian footballer, born on 8th May 1993 in Sincelejo, Colombia. Celis is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also play as a central midfielder. Celis prefers his right foot while playing and currently plays for Portuguese club, Vitoria Guimaraes SC.

Background

Celis started his football career playing for local Colombian club, Barranquilla. He made his first team debut for Barranquilla in 2011.

He signed for Junior in 2012 on a long-term deal in a move which saw him move to the top division of Colombian football. However, chances were hard to come by and he made only a single appearance in the league.

The 2013 Primera A season turned out to be the breakthrough season for Celis. He made 20 appearances for his club and also helped his nation finish runners-up in the World Youth Festival.

Debut

After appearing regularly for the Colombia U23 side, Celis made his senior national team debut against Bolivia in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier in 2016. He played the entire match as Colombia won 3-2.

Rise to Glory

Celis made 28 appearances in the league during the 2014 season. He helped his side reach the final of the Apertura.

The following season, Celis made 34 appearances as his stock continued to rise. He won a trophy for the first time in his club career as Junior won the Copa Colombia. He also scored four goals in the league which was his highest in a league season. Junior also reached the final of the Apertura in the 2015 season.

Celis played in 13 Primera A matches during the 2016 season before moving to Benfica in the summer.

After finding it difficult to find a place in the Benfica starting eleven, Celis moved to fellow Primeira Liga side Vitoria Guimaraes for more opportunities.

Celis played in 13 league matches for Vitoria after making the move during the January transfer window.

Vitoria made the move permanent in the summer of 2017 and Celis rewarded the faith shown in him by appearing in 15 games during the 2017-18 season before being injured.

Low Points

Guillermo Celis made 15 appearances in the Primeira Liga for Vitoria de Guimaraes before suffering an injury in the match against Portimonense. The injury served him a huge blow in his aspirations to make the Colombia national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career

Guillermo Celis made his debut as a professional footballer for Barranquilla in the Colombian Primera B division in 2011. In 2012, he signed for Junior in the Primera A division and was loaned back to Barranquilla in 2013. He returned to Junior and stayed with them till 2016. In the summer of 2016, he signed for Benfica in the Portuguese Primeira Liga for £2.07 million. After struggling for playing time, Celis moved to Vitoria de Guimaraes on loan for the second half of the 2016-17 season. He signed for Vitoria on a permanent basis in the summer of 2017.