Arias was a youth product of the La Equidad academy. He was moved into the senior squad during 2009 making his professional debut that same year against Deportes Tolima. He soon became a regular for the Bogotá based club and racked up 28 appearances. His notable performances earned him the opportunity to represent his nation at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted in Colombia. After a successful spell at his club and internationally, he soon moved to Portugal to join the ranks of Lisbon team Sporting CP.
Sporting CP
While representing the U20 national Colombian side in 2011, Arias attracted the scouts of Sporting CP. On 1 July 2011, Arias was ultimately signed by Sporting on a 5-year contract for a transfer free of €300,000. He made his European debut on 6 November replacing Matías Fernández in the 80th minute against U.D. Leiria. Despite making his first team debut, Arias spent most of his playing time with the B-Squad where he scored a goal in 28 appearances. He occasionally made appearances with the first squad, but never broke in for a permanent spot.
PSV
In early 2013, Arias was linked to the Dutch club PSV but nothing was finalized. In July 2013, Arias was once again linked to the club where both parties agreed on finalizing a deal. It was then reported that Arias signed a four-year contract and PSV paid Sporting €1.6 million for a package deal including fellow Sporting teammate Stijn Schaars. Upon his arrival, Arias was handed the number 13 shirt. He made his league debut on 3 August, playing a full 90 minutes in a 2–3 away win against ADO Den Haag. He made his first direct contribution for PSV as he scored the opening goal in a 3–2 home win over FC Twente. Arias made 25 league appearances for the 2013–14 Eredivisie with PSV placing fourth thus earning a place in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round. Arias appeared for the first time in a European competition in a match against SKN St. Pölten coming on as a second-half substitute in a match where PSV won 2-3. He then appeared in four group stage matches and played the first leg of the Round of 36 against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. Subsequent to an injury, Arias was ruled out of the second leg with his team being knocked out 4-0 on aggregate. Despite an early exit from the Europa League, PSV were crowned 2014–15 Eredivisie thus making the conquest Arias's first European title. It was also the club's first title in eight years. In the 1–2 Champions League group stage loss against Bayern München, Arias scored the opening goal with a header, which possibly came from an offside position. He played on 15 April 2018 as PSV beat rivals Ajax 3–0 to clinch the 2017-18 Eredivisie title. The title would be Arias' 5th Dutch trophy in just 5 seasons within the Netherlands. Arias would then be named the Eredivisie Player of the Year, having assisted 6 goals and scoring 3, as well as holding an 82% passing accuracy and winning 134 take ons. He was also named in the league's best XI of the season.
Atlético Madrid
On 31 July 2018, it was announced that Arias completed a transfer to Atlético Madrid for a reported transfer fee of £11 million. Upon his arrival, Arias was handed the number 4 shirt. He made his unofficial debut in friendly against Cagliari replacing Juanfran at the start of the second half. Atlético went on to win the match with Borja Garcés scoring the sole goal. He made his league debut for the club on 1 September, coming on as a substitute for José Giménez in a 2–0 defeat against Celta de Vigo. On 19 January 2019, he scored his first goal for Los Rojiblancos in a 0–3 defeat of SD Huesca.
In September 2013, Arias received his first call up for Colombia's senior team to dispute the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Paraguay, following first choice Camilo Zúñiga's injury. He made his debut against Paraguay and played the entire match in a 1–2 away victory at Asunción. Arias was included in Colombia's 23 man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He made three appearances in the tournament, coming on as a substitute in all of Colombia's group stage matches. The following year, Arias was included in the final squad for the 2015 Copa America. He appeared twice at the tournament, including the quarter-final 0–0 draw against Argentina where Colombia were eliminated 5–4 on penalties. He was a part of the Colombian squad that finished third place at the Copa América Centenario. Arias was selected in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He started in all four of Colombia's matches as his nation was eliminated in the Round of 16 against England.
