Derlis González


Derlis Alberto González Galeano is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for Paraguayan club Olimpia and the Paraguay national team. Mainly a forward, he can play as a winger.
González began his career with Rubio Ñu in 2009, and in 2012 was signed by Portugal's Benfica, spending his time out on loan in Paraguay with Guaraní and Olimpia Asunción. In 2014, he joined Basel in the Swiss Super League.
In December 2015, González was awarded as the Paraguayan Footballer of the Year.

Club career

Rubio Ñu

Born in Mariano Roque Alonso. González joined Rubio Ñu's youth setup in 2009, from Cerro Corá. He made his first-team – and Primera División – debut on 9 December of that year, starting in a 2–1 home win against 12 de Octubre; at the age of 15 years, becoming the club's youngest ever first-team player.
González scored his first senior goal on 19 September 2010, netting the opener in a 2–1 away defeat of Sportivo Trinidense. He would subsequently feature regularly for the first team in the following campaigns, as his side went on to establish themselves in the first division.

Benfica

On 10 October 2011, González agreed to a deal with Portuguese club Benfica, joining the club ahead of the 2012–13 season. Upon arriving, he was initially assigned to the under-19 squad in the Campeonato Nacional de Juniores.
In 2014, Benfica announced that González, together with compatriot Cláudio Correa, were sold to Master International FZC for €1.72 million.

Loan to Guaraní

On 12 February 2013, González was loaned to Guaraní until December. On 24 May 2013, González was referenced in the Spanish newspaper Marca as a future star, following the steps of Ángel Di María, who moved from Benfica to Real Madrid.
González scored 14 goals for Guaraní during the campaign, 12 only in the Clausura tournament. On 7 December 2013, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 home routing of Cerro Porteño PF.

Loan to Olimpia

On 16 January 2014, González moved to Olimpia until June, also in a temporary deal. He scored twice on his debut on 15 February, a 3–1 away success over General Díaz.

Basel

On 20 May 2014, González signed with Swiss club FC Basel a five-year contract until 30 June 2019, for an undisclosed fee. He made his first team league debut on 19 July in the 2–1 away win against FC Aarau.
González scored his first goal for his new club on 31 August 2014, in a 3–1 home win against BSC Young Boys. On 16 September, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for Basel in a 5–1 group stage away defeat to Real Madrid. He added another on 4 November, in a 4–0 win over Ludogorets Razgrad.
On 18 February 2015, González opened the scoring in a last 16 first leg at home against FC Porto, the game ended with a 1–1 draw. He finished the season with six goals in all competitions comprised.

Dynamo Kyiv

On 30 July 2015, González signed a five-year contract with Ukrainian champions FC Dynamo Kyiv. Upon his signing, he became the second most expensive Paraguayan player and the second Paraguayan to play in Ukraine after Pedro Benítez.
On 22 August 2015, González made his official debut for Dynamo in a 0–6 away win in the 1/16 stage of the Ukrainian Cup against a Ukrainian First League team FC Hirnyk-Sport Komsomolsk, coming on as 45th-minute substitute. He scored his first goal for the club on 4 October, in a 4–0 away win against Vorskla Poltava in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Loan to Santos

On 31 July 2018, González agreed to a two-year loan deal with Santos. He made his debut for the club on 4 August, replacing Bruno Henrique late into a 0–0 away draw against Botafogo.
On 6 February 2020, González's loan was cut short.

International career

González represented Paraguay at under-15 and the under-20 levels, playing for the latter at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Turkey; at that tournament he scored the winning goal in a match against Mexico.
González made his debut for the senior team in a friendly match against Costa Rica on 26 March 2014, replacing Pablo Velázquez after 58 minutes. In November of the same year, he scored his first senior international goal with a penalty kick in a 2–1 defeat of Peru.
On 28 May 2015, González was included in Paraguay's 23-man squad for the 2015 Copa América by coach Ramón Díaz. He appeared as a half-time substitute in the team's opening fixture against Argentina, helping Paraguay recover from a two-goal deficit to draw 2–2 in La Serena. On 27 June, after Thiago Silva's handball, he scored a penalty in the quarter-final against Brazil in Concepción to level the score at 1–1; in the resulting penalty shootout, he converted the winning kick to take Paraguay to the semi-final.
During match day one of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification on 8 October 2015 González scored the winning goal in the 85 minute as Paraguay beat Venezuela 1–0.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.14 November 2014Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luque, Paraguay2–12–1Friendly
2.27 June 2015Estadio Municipal de Concepción, Concepción, Chile1–11–1 2015 Copa América
3.8 October 2015Estadio Cachamay, Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.11 October 2016Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, Argentina1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.26 March 2019Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, United States2–32–4Friendly
6.9 June 2019Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay2–02–0Friendly
7.16 June 2019Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil2–02–22019 Copa América

Honours

;Basel
;Dynamo Kyiv