Who is Jeriel De Santis, the Venezuelan that Alianza Lima wants and can play for the Peruvian team?

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Jeriel De Santis represented Venezuela in a Sub 17 South American tournament and twice in the Toulon Esperanzas Tournament.

Jeriel De Santis would be the last reinforcement of Alianza Lima to face this season. Due to the injury of attacker Pablo Sabbag, the ‘blue and white’ team was left with Hernán Barcos, Cecilio Waterman and the youth Víctor Guzmán as the only forwards, so, taking into account that the scheme implemented by Alejandro Restrepo requires two players in that position and who will face the Copa Libertadores from April, in parallel with the local tournament, they were forced to add a new alternative to the attack.

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However, the ‘intimates’ had their quotas filled with foreigners, forcing the new nine to be Peruvian, so the options were reduced and names like Yordy Reyna or Paolo Guerrero, who had a current contract with another club, began to float around. However, the ‘blue and white’ found in the 21-year-old forward an alternative in the one born in Venezuela, who has a Peruvian passport and does not occupy a foreign position.

A Bola, media from Portugal, reported that Alianza Lima bought Jeriel De Santis for a millionaire amount.

Jeriel De Santis was born in El Callao, but not the first port in Peru, but the capital of the state of Bolívar in the ‘llanero’ country. He is Venezuelan, but with an Italian father and a Peruvian mother, so he has the possibility of representing any of the three teams.

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During his career, he was more identified with his native Venezuela. He trained in the minor divisions of Caracas FC, a club in which he managed to debut in the first division at only 16 years old on May 18, 2019 in a 5-0 win over Llaneros de Guanare. In that season he played 9 games and scored his first goal in the 3-0 victory over Deportivo Miranda in the Venezuelan Cup.

By then, he was considered a ‘jewel’ of Venezuelan football, due to his outstanding performance just a few months before, during the South American under 19 held precisely in Peru. In this competition the ‘vinotinto’ could not qualify for the World Cup in the category, but De Santis stood out by scoring three goals, all in the 5-3 win over Bolivia at the San Marcos stadium.

Jeriel De Santis scored three goals in Venezuela’s 5-3 win over Bolivia at the San Marcos stadium by the 2019 South American Sub 19 (Unitel Bolivia).

This early appearance began to attract the attention of clubs in Europe, and it was finally Boavista that acquired his services in exchange for one million euros; according to the Transfermarkt portal. He started playing in the under 23 team, although he was able to play three games in the Portuguese league. In his second year, more consolidated, he enjoyed more continuity, playing 18 games and scoring 2 goals.

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In order for him to develop, Jeriel De Santis went on loan to FC Cartagena B, which plays in the fourth division of Spain, and where he played his best season so far in his career, scoring 11 goals in 20 games. ,

This performance earned him a return to the ‘chess’ team, where this 2023/2024 campaign, he had a disruptive role, playing 14 matches, and always entering the second half.

In the 2021/22 season, De Santis celebrated his first victory against Paços de Ferreira. | VIDEO: VSPORTS

Until a few years ago, Jeriel De Santis revealed his position regarding the team he is going to represent: he wants to play for Venezuela. He even revealed in an interview that he rejected an invitation from the Peruvian team.

“At one point they contacted me to go to a module. My answer was no. I have already made history with the national team by scoring a hat-trick. It is more beautiful to play with the Venezuelan team and feel that shirt. For any ‘chamo’ my age it is a joy and a source of pride,” he told Solo Venex.

De Santis’ category did not have the possibility of playing a South American under 20 due to the covid-19 pandemic, although the forward did have the chance to be considered again for the Toulon Hope Games in 2022 and 2023. That Yes, he has never represented Venezuela officially, so, if he changes his mind, he has a chance to play for Peru.

Jeriel De Santis played in the under 17 South American competition that took place in Peru, but representing his native Venezuela.