Jefferson Lerma


Jefferson Andrés Lerma Solís is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club AFC Bournemouth and the Colombia national team. Lerma has also been used as a defensive midfielder and as a right back.

Club career

Early career and Atlético Huila

Born in El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca, Lerma graduated with Atlético Huila's youth setup. After being promoted to the main squad in January 2013, he made his professional debut on 30 March, starting in a 0–0 home draw against Millonarios.
Lerma appeared in 20 matches during his first professional season, as his side finished 13th. He scored his first professional goals on 6 February 2014, scored two goals in a 3–1 home success over Fortaleza, the first of which was the club's 1,000th.

Levante

On 13 August 2015, Lerma moved abroad for the first time in his career, agreeing to a one-year loan contract with Spanish La Liga club Levante. He made his debut later that month, appearing as a late substitute for Nabil Ghilas in a 0–0 away draw against Las Palmas. He scored his first goal in the main category of Spanish football on 7 December 2015, scoring the match's first goal in a 1–1 away draw with Espanyol. After appearing in 25 matches for the club, he signed a four-year contract effective 1 July 2016 for a €600,000 transfer fee.

AFC Bournemouth

On 7 August 2018, Lerma joined English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth for a club record transfer fee of €30 million. On 1 September, he made his Premier League debut for Bournemouth playing 88 minutes in a 2–0 loss against Chelsea. Lerma scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat against Newcastle United on 10 November 2018. He scored on the final day of his first season at the club in a 5-3 defeat away to Crystal Palace. Lerma established himself as a fan favourite player, due to his tough-tackling, no-nonsense style of play, as well as an important part of the Bournemouth team during his first season in the Premier League; making a total of 32 appearances across all competitions and scoring two goals in the league.
On 29th February 2020, Lerma scored his third goal for the club in a 2-2 home draw against Chelsea, meeting a Ryan Fraser corner with his head to make the score 1-1.

International career

In June 2018, Lerma was named to Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Career statistics

Club

International