Jefferson Lerma

Jefferson Andrés Lerma Solís is a Colombian footballer who plays for Spanish club Levante UD. Born on 25th October 1994, Lerma is a central midfielder who occasionally plays as a defensive midfielder and as right back. The right-footed player won the Spanish Second Division (or LaLiga 2) with Levante UD which gained they're the promotion back to the top division La Liga.

Background

Born in El Cerrito, Colombia, Lerma is a part of Atlético Huila Under-19 team and was promoted to the senior squad in January 2013. Lerma had to wait for a couple of months before making his debut for the club.

Debut

On 30th March 2013, Lerma made his debut for Atlético Huila as a Defensive Midfielder for the whole ninety minutes which ended in a 0:0 stalemate. He moved to LaLiga side Levante FC in the 2015 Summer Transfers and came in as the 90th-minute substitute on 4th September 2016 in a 0:0 against Las Palmas.

Lerma made his International Debut for Colombia on 10th November 2017 in a friendly match against South Korea. The match was won 2:1 by the Asian side as Lerma was substituted in the 82nd minute.

Rise to glory

Lerma scored his first professional goal in Huila’s shirt on the third day of the 2014 Postobon League I against Fortaleza. In that same match, he scored the thousandth goal in the history of Atlético Huila in professional football and managed to make it a double.

His first match as a starter was on the 21st September 2015 against Barcelona where they lost Levante lost 4-1 to the hosts.

On 7th December 2015, Lerma netted his first goal in a 1–1 away draw against RCD Espanyol. After reaching 25 match mark according to the loan contract, he signed a four-year deal effective on 1 July for a €600,000 fee.

On October 15, 2016, he would give his team victory by 2:1 against Mallorca. He had a perfect start to his second spell at the Spanish top tier the following season with a start in the first six matches.

He had made 3 International Appearances for the Colombian National team and 3 matches for the Colombian Olympic team.

Club career

Lerma started his footballing career with the Atlético Huila on January 2013 featuring in 84 matches scoring 6 goals till 2015. He was then loaned out to Spanish side Levante in 2015 and after making 33 appearances and finding the net once for the club, he was signed on a permanent deal worth €600,000 fee. He has then made 40 appearances for the Spanish side scoring twice in the meantime.