How is ex-Cardiff City star Gary Medel getting on? | OneFootball

We took a look at how Gary Medel is getting on a decade after leaving Cardiff City

Gary Medel spent just one season at Cardiff City before leaving after the club's relegation to the Championship in 2014, and supporters might be surprised to hear that the Chilean midfielder is still playing at the top level.

Medel joined the Bluebirds from Sevilla in 2013 for a reported fee of £11million, a club record, after they had won the Championship title in 2013, and his signing was a real statement of intent from the club.

Despite some impressive performances, Medel was unable to keep the side from the Welsh capital in the Premier League, and he departed on a permanent basis in the summer of 2014 when he joined Inter Milan for £10million, less than what Cardiff had paid to sign him a year earlier.

Medel's time at Cardiff was a short one, but the Chile international has played for a host of clubs since leaving south Wales, and is still going strong now.

Gary Medel is currently playing for Boca Juniors in Argentina

Having recently turned 37, Cardiff supporters may be surprised to hear that Medel is still playing top-flight football, playing for one of the most famous clubs in South America in the form of Argentine giants Boca Juniors.

He only sealed the move to La Bombonera earlier this summer, showing that he clearly feels he's still got a lot to offer, and if this is to be the final destination in his long career, it's a fitting one.

Medel played for Boca Juniors between 2009 and 2011 prior to moving to Europe, and playing for the club again means that his career has come full circle.

Quite remarkably, Medel is still playing international football too, and he currently has a whopping 161 caps for Chile to his name. This makes him the 25th most-capped international footballer in history, and means he's the second most-capped Chilean player of all time, just five behind Alexis Sanchez.

Since his return to La Bombonera this summer, Medel has made nine appearances for Boca Juniors, with the club currently in 10th place in the Argentine Primera División table.

Considering his age, it's no mean feat that Medel is still playing for a club of Boca Juniors' stature and on the international stage, and with a contract until December 31st 2025, it looks as if the former Bluebirds' midfielder will be playing at that level until he's at least 38.

Gary Medel has played for a variety of clubs since leaving Cardiff City

As mentioned above, Medel sealed a move to Inter Milan after leaving the Bluebirds, and he remained in Italy until the summer of 2017, before sealing a move to Turkey with Besiktas.

After two years in the Turkish capital, Medel returned to Italy, this time with Bologna, and he enjoyed a successful four-year spell with the Serie A side, becoming a mainstay in the side and also wearing the captain's armand on a regular basis. However, he returned to South America in the summer of 2023.

He joined Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama in July 2023, but after just one year and 32 appearances, he made the move across the continent to Argentina, where he re-joined Boca Juniors.

Medel continues to enjoy what's been a stellar career, and he's played for some huge clubs both in Europe and South America.

His time at Cardiff City was a short one, and perhaps he didn't show what he was capable of there, in what was admittedly a poor side, but Medel has proved elsewhere and on the international stage that he's a top player.