Miguel Ángel Borja Hernández (born 26 January 1993) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the UAE Pro League club Al Wasl and the Colombia national team.

After moving between several Colombian clubs early in his career, he had his breakthrough in 2016 with Cortuluá, scoring 19 goals to finish as the league’s top scorer. He then joined Atlético Nacional, where he quickly established himself as a decisive figure, netting crucial goals in their triumphant 2016 Copa Libertadores campaign. His performances earned him the prestigious title of South American Footballer of the Year. In 2017, he made a high-profile move to Brazilian club Palmeiras, winning the Brasileirão the following season. In 2022, he signed with Argentine giants River Plate, where he captured multiple titles, including the 2023 Primera División championship.

At youth level, Borja was part of the Colombia under-20 squad that won the 2013 South American Youth Football Championship. He also represented Colombia in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, reaching the quarter-finals. He made his senior debut for Colombia in November 2016 during a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Chile and scored his first two goals for the national team the following year in a 4–0 friendly win over China. Borja was included in Colombia’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and participated in the 2021 Copa América, where his country achieved third place, as well as the 2024 Copa América, where they finished as runners-up.

Club career

Colombia

Borja began his career with Deportivo Cali, making his professional debut in 2011. That same year, he was transferred to Cucuta Deportivo, club in which he had few chances to play. He would soon be transferred again, this time to play for Categoría Primera B side, Cortuluá. Borja would make a name for himself in the second division of Colombia, often being referred to as a 'fast' and 'complete goalscorer', as well as boasting impressive strength on the ball. His impressive performances with Cortuluá eventually led him to becoming an alternative striker for Colombia's national under-20 team in 2013. On 17 January 2013, it was reported that Independiente Medellin had been interested in acquiring Borja's services. However, nothing was finalized and Borja was eventually sold to first division side, La Equidad. In his 2 disputable games, Borja scored 4 goals before being transferred to Serie A side Livorno.

Livorno and Olimpo

During the summer of 2013, it was confirmed that Borja would join Italian club Livorno on loan. The loan consisted of a fee of €150,000 with an option to buy for €1.5 million.[4]

His debut for Le Triglie came on 20 October, coming off the bench in a 1–2 loss to Sampdoria.

Borja made seven season appearances for the club but failed to score a goal. Livorno was eventually regulated to the Serie B after placing last for the season.

Shortly after Livorno were relegated, Borja was sent on loan to Argentine club Club Olimpo, where he scored three in sixteen games.

Return to Colombia

Borja was loaned to Independiente Santa Fe for the second half of 2015. That season, Borja scored ten goals in thirty-three matches. He won the 2015 Copa Sudamericana with the team (he played seven matches with no goals).

For the 2016 season, he was sold to Cortuluá who was 17th in the league the previous season. In the Apertura tournament of the season, Borja scored a record of nineteen goals in twenty-one matches, breaking the record of most goals scored by a player in a league tournament (the previous record was held by Jackson Martínez, with eighteen goals in the 2009 Finalizacion).[5][6] His team Cortuluá reached the Semifinals, which they lost to Independiente Medellín.

He was transferred again on 8 June, this time to Atlético Nacional. On 6 July, during his first match for his new team, while playing against São Paulo in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, he scored twice, a feat he repeated in the second leg a week after. Then, on 27 July 2016, he went on to score the definitive goal in the final series against Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle, which Atlético Nacional ended up winning 2–1 on the aggregate. At the end of the year, Borja was included in the best 11 of the year.[7]

Palmeiras

On 9 February 2017, it was announced that Borja had agreed to transfer to Brazilian side Palmeiras. He signed a five-year deal for a fee believed to be around US$10.5 million.[8] Borja became the fourth most expensive transfer of Brazilian football.[9]

Junior

On 28 December 2019, Borja signed a one-year loan deal with Atlético Junior.[10] On 8 September 2020, in the first leg of the 2020 Superliga Colombiana, which had been moved from January to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Borja scored a penalty in an eventual 2-1 loss against América de Cali.[11] However, this goal later proved to be crucial in the second leg, with Junior winning the second leg 2-0 and winning the title 3-2 on aggregate.[12]

Grêmio

On 5 August 2021, Borja signed with Grêmio until December 2022 on loaned from Palmeiras, and was given the number 9 shirt.[13]

River Plate

On 12 July 2022, Borja signed a contract with Argentine giants River Plate, running until December 2025.[14] During his time in River, Borja applied for Argentine citizenship, which he formally received in October 2025.[15][16]

International career

Borja was included in Colombia's 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making one substitute appearance in the group stage match against Senegal.[17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 November 2025[citation needed]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Deportivo Cali 2011 Primera A 0010——10
Cúcuta Deportivo 2011 Primera A 5000——50
Cortuluá 2012 Primera B 22450——274
2013 11442——156
Total 33892——4210
La Equidad 2013 Primera A 240000—24
Livorno (loan) 2013–14 Serie A 8000——80
Olimpo (loan) 2014 Primera División 16300——163
Santa Fe 2015 Primera A 33105011[a]0—4910
Cortuluá 2016 Primera A 211933——2422
Atlético Nacional 2016 Primera A 716512[b]112[c]02717
Palmeiras 2017 Série A 246407[d]08[e]44310
2018 1634112[d]912[e]74420
2019 91105[d]210[e]3256
Total 4910912411301411236
Junior (loan) 2020 Primera A 23141111[f]52[g]13721
2021 148008[d]6—2214
Total 3722111911215935
Grêmio (loan) 2021 Série A 14520——165
Junior 2022 Primera A 1710218[h]5—2716
River Plate 2022 Primera División 1892000—209
2023 3311214[d]12[i]14114
2024 35242111[d]61[i]04931
2025 317509[d]14[j]0498
Total 117511122487115962
Career total 359143491598463916547220
  1. ↑ Four appearances in Copa Libertadores, seven appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  2. ↑ Four appearances and five goals in Copa Libertadores, eight appearances and six goals in Copa Sudamericana
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in FIFA Club World Cup
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  5. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in Campeonato Paulista
  6. ↑ Five appearances and one goal in Copa Libertadores, six appearances and four goals in Copa Sudamericana
  7. ↑ Appearance(s) in Superliga Colombiana
  8. ↑ Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  9. 1 2 Appearance in Supercopa Argentina
  10. ↑ One appearance in Supercopa Internacional, three appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International

As of match played 14 July 2024[18]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Colombia 201610
201742
201851
2021134
202241
202431
Total309
Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first.[18]
List of international goals scored by Miguel Borja
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 November 2017Chongqing Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China China3–04–0Friendly
24–0
311 October 2018Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, United States United States4–24–2
48 June 2021Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia Argentina2–22–22022 FIFA World Cup qualification
520 June 2021Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil Peru1–11–22021 Copa América
69 September 2021Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia Chile1–03–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification
72–0
824 March 2022 Bolivia2–03–0
96 July 2024State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States Panama5–05–02024 Copa América

Honours

Independiente Santa Fe

Atlético Nacional

Palmeiras[19]

Junior

  • Superliga Colombiana: 2020

River Plate

Colombia U20

Colombia

Individual

Sponsors

Miguel Borja is the Brand Ambassador[22] for Binomo[23] in LATAM from October to December 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016: List of Players: Atlético Nacional" (PDF). FIFA. 14 December 2016. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Miguel Borja" (in Spanish). Club Atlético River Plate. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Miguel Borja será fichado por el Livorno". Goal.com (in Spanish). 31 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Borja delivers on his promises". FIFA. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Miguel Borja y su récord de goles en torneos cortos del fútbol colombiano - Liga Águila". Futbolred.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Seis colombianos conforman el once ideal de América 2016". futbolred.com (in Spanish). 31 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Palmeiras fecha a contratação do atacante colombiano Borja" (in Portuguese). GloboEsporte. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Borja e Pratto entram no top 10 de contratações mais caras no Brasil
  10. ↑ "Junior Barranquilla anuncia acordo por contratação de Borja, do Palmeiras". Globoesporte (in Brazilian Portuguese). 28 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "América derrotó 2-1 a Junior en la vuelta del FPC". ESPN. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Junior campeón de la Superliga con la que llegó a 13 títulos en su historia". ESPNdeportes.com (in Spanish). 12 September 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Borja é apresentado no Grêmio e fala em "fazer história"". SBT. 5 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Miguel Borja, nuevo jugador de River Plate". River Plate (in Spanish). 11 July 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Salerno, Héctor (24 October 2025). "La noticia que recibió Borja que puede ser clave para su futuro ¿en River?". Olé (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Nomesqui Rivera, Jimmy (24 October 2025). "Borja es argentino: 'El Colibrí' recibió la nacionalidad tras tres años en River Plate". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  17. ↑ FIFA.com
  18. 1 2 "Miguel Borja". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  19. ↑ "Scolari deja atrás la sombra del 7-1 y convierte Palmeiras en campeón de Liga". 25 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "Atacante Miguel Borja é eleito o "Rei das Américas" de 2016". 23 February 2017.
  21. 1 2 "Com domínio do Palmeiras, Seleção é premiada recheada de finalistas" [With prevalence of Palmeiras, Best XI is awarded full of finalists] (in Portuguese). Federação Paulista de Futebol. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  22. ↑ Instagram - Miguel Borja as Brand Ambassador, retrieved 18 October 2024
  23. ↑ Binomo Official Website, retrieved 18 October 2024
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Borja