Christian Hernando Rivera Cuéllar (born 14 January 1996) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga MX club Tijuana.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Hernando Rivera Cuéllar | ||
| Date of birth | 14 January 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Cali, Colombia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tijuana | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016 | Deportivo Cali | 10 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Deportivo Pasto | 32 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Deportivo Cali | 70 | (4) |
| 2020– | Tijuana | 100 | (4) |
| 2023 | → Querétaro (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 05:29, 9 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Born in Cali, Rivera is the son of Hernando and Yenny.[1] He began playing football at age four at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, where his mother worked as a teacher.[1] When Rivera turned nine, he joined the Sarmiento Lora academy where he had to balance his football training and studies.[1] In 2012, Rivera was selected from three players at Sarmiento Lora, including future first team teammate Alveiro Sánchez, to join local club Deportivo Cali.[1] He made his professional debut for Cali on 17 February 2016 against Fortaleza. He came on as a late stoppage time substitute as Cali won 1–0.[2] Midway through the 2016 season, at the start of the Torneo Finalización, Rivera joined Deportivo Pasto, making his debut on 10 July against Boyacá Chicó as a halftime substitute in the 2–0 victory.[3]
The next season, on 3 February 2017, Rivera scored his first professional goal for Pasto against Cortuluá. His 89th-minute goal was the fourth in a 4–0 victory.[4] Prior to the second half of the season, Rivera returned to Deportivo Cali, making his debut on 5 July 2017 against Cúcuta Deportivo.[5] On 26 July, Rivera scored a brace for Cali against Cúcuta Deportivo in the second leg of the Copa Colombia in a 3–1 victory.[6]
During the 2019 season, Rivera finished as the top goalscorer in the Copa Colombia where he led Deportivo Cali to final against Independiente Medellín.[7]
Tijuana
On 3 January 2020, Rivera joined Liga MX club Tijuana on loan with a purchase option.[8] He made his debut for the club on 10 January 2020 against Santos Laguna, coming on as a 58th minute substitute in a 2–1 victory.[9] Prior to the Torneo Guardianes 2021, Rivera joined Tijuana on a permanent basis.[10]
Career statistics
- As of match played 3 April 2021[11]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Deportivo Cali | 2016 | Categoría Primera A | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Deportivo Pasto | 2016 | Categoría Primera A | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| 2017 | Categoría Primera A | 18 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 2 | |
| Total | 32 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
| Deportivo Cali | 2017 | Categoría Primera A | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 13 | 2 |
| 2018 | Categoría Primera A | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Categoría Primera A | 44 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 55 | 7 | |
| Total | 70 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 88 | 11 | ||
| Tijuana | 2019–20 | Liga MX | 10 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 1 |
| 2020–21 | Liga MX | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 148 | 8 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 181 | 14 | ||