Exclusive Jhon Arias Interview: The Journey From Quibdó To The World Stage | OneFootball

Palmeiras’ Colombian international Jhon Arias was born in Quibdó, the capital of Colombia’s Chocó Department, a region known for producing explosive athletes and technically strong players. It’s one of the wettest cities in the world due to its rainforest location, where rain is a near-daily occurrence, and it has produced several footballing talents, including the likes of Carlos Sánchez, Yerry Mina, Jackson Martínez, and Duván Zapata, just to name a few.

Football is deeply embedded in daily life within the Chocó region of Colombia, and street football, which involves close control, improvisation, quick dribbling, balance, and quick reactions, all play a part in developing the technical abilities of players from the region.

“My earliest memories of football are always at home or at my aunt’s house when I was a child, playing with my brother with a ball in the living room,” Arias tells WFi.

“It was a time when we were very happy, doing simple things like playing with a ball or sometimes breaking a picture frame or a window in our house.”

Like many youngsters, smashing windows around the house was something every child seemed to experience while trying to recreate their idols on the pitch, but while Jhon Arias began his football journey in his native Colombia, the start to his career took a completely different trajectory from that of the typical South American footballer.

This is because Arias moved to Mexico to begin his youth career with Dorados de Sinaloa, where he played in 2016 before later joining the youth setup at Club Tijuana.

“Well, my experience in Mexico was good. I think it was a time that helped me mature, grow, and learn about a new culture in the country, a new way of seeing football,” he explained.

“It happened through my agent, who is Mexican; he managed to take me to Mexico, first to Tijuana, then to Dorados, and it was an experience that I particularly enjoyed a lot.

“It was my first international experience, my first experience outside my country, and I think it helped a lot in shaping my character and also showed me that I was capable of adapting to different situations.”

Arias’ professional career started in 2018 when he was loaned to Llaneros FC in the second tier of his native Colombia.

In a solid debut season, he played 31 league matches, scoring five goals. Overall, he made 35 appearances across all competitions and found the net six times. Quite impressive for someone still at the very beginning of his career.

It did not take long for scouts within Colombia to begin noticing him, particularly during his second season in the top flight with Patriota, where he once again played a significant number of matches, making 38 appearances and adding four goals to his name.

He would soon be on the move again, this time joining one of Colombia’s biggest clubs, América de Cali. His first season with the club saw him make 29 appearances, including a debut in continental competitions as he continued to develop. In the same season, he helped the side win the league title, giving him his first taste of professional success.

Arias would later move again, this time joining Independiente Santa Fe, which would prove to be the final club in his native Colombia before moving countries once again.

“My career in Colombia was good; I had the chance to play for great clubs. Clearly, I always had this dream of playing for a big club in my country,” he says.

“I was also fortunate to have the chance to be a champion with América de Cali, which is a very special team for my grandmother, especially because she was a fan of América de Cali. So I think it was a good year, it was the first step in my career, it was the beginning.

“I was lucky to achieve this with good teams, teams that helped me grow, that believed in me, and I think a large part of who I am today as a player is because I’ve always been surrounded by teams that have always tried to take care of me.”

Arias’ style of play is built around his dribbling ability, his confidence in 1v1 situations, and his willingness to run directly at defenders. He is a player who constantly looks to attack full-backs and drive his side forward.

Not only that, he is very fluid positionally and tactically intelligent. He can drop into midfield, drift out wide, and move freely across the frontline to help his side’s game plan. He is capable of playing behind the striker, out wide, or even further forward, making him a very versatile attacking player.

What makes Arias stand out, however, is how direct he is. He constantly runs at opponents and is a difficult player to deal with due to his unpredictability and close control. That could partly come from, as touched on earlier, growing up in the Chocó region of Colombia, where adapting to different situations and environments is part of everyday life. Mix that with the experience he gained at a young age playing in Mexico, and it helped shape a player who is technically strong but also mentally adaptable.

He is the type of player every team loves to have, someone willing to take responsibility on the ball, start counterattacks, dribble out of danger, and create something out of nothing.

“I think a characteristic of my football is rooted in my origins, in the people who saw me born, who saw me grow up, who often saw me playing in the street, who saw me take my first steps on the path to football,” he said.

“I think there’s a lot I can bring from my childhood, from the time when football was more about fun. So I think these are things that are still within me, things that make my style very distinctive.”

Upon leaving Colombia, Arias joined Brazilian side Fluminense in the summer transfer window of 2021, making his debut just 12 days later in a victory over Esporte Clube Bahia.

Just a few weeks later, he scored his first goal for Fluminense in a 1-1 draw with Esporte Clube Juventude, calmly finishing in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.

Then, in 2022, after having a full pre-season and more time to settle in and build chemistry with his teammates, Arias enjoyed a very impressive Campeonato Carioca campaign, scoring four goals in 13 matches, as Flu went on to lift the title against a very strong Flamengo side. That form carried into the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A season, where he scored seven goals and provided nine assists during the 2022 campaign.

“I think Brazilian and Colombian football are different, the style, the intensity of the game, the competitiveness in matches is also different,” he explains.

“The Brasileirão is the best league in South America, and clearly it took time to adapt, which is a natural process you have to go through when you’re new to a country.

“I think it was mainly good to respect that adaptation time, to transform and become more confident, managing to assimilate where I was and the new player I was at that moment.”

One of the biggest influences on Arias’ career in Brazil was the arrival of Fernando Diniz at Fluminense in 2022. Diniz is known for his aggressive and fluid style of football, one built around movement, positional freedom, and taking risks in possession. It suited a player like Arias perfectly, allowing him to fully express himself creatively, and it quickly helped him become one of the key players within the side.

Things would become even better in 2023 for Arias. Fluminense kicked the year off by retaining the Campeonato Carioca title, with Arias once again proving to be a key member of the side.

In the Brasileirão, he again showed his importance by scoring seven goals and providing seven assists. But it was in the Copa Libertadores where he truly made a name for himself on the continental stage, registering two goals and four assists during the campaign.

His performances earned him a place in the South American Team of the Year as Flu created history by lifting the Copa Libertadores for the first time in the club’s history.

In the final against Boca Juniors, Arias was a constant handful. Every time he received the ball, he looked direct, driving at defenders time and time again, with Boca struggling to deal with his movement and dribbling ability. In the end, it was Fluminense who came out on top, with Arias playing a key role in one of the most important nights in the club’s history.

“Yes, it was a special title. I think the Copa Libertadores is the greatest achievement in South America, and it was clearly a special year with Fluminense, with everything we achieved, and the way we achieved it,” Arias said on lifting the Libertadores.

“It’s a title that will be etched in memory forever. I also think it was a turning point in my career; it clearly changes the level of any athlete to have an achievement of that magnitude.

“It was special. I enjoyed every match, every game, whether at home or away. It was a very special competition. The most important game was the final because it was a moment of accomplishment, a moment of knowing that we were prepared to achieve something unprecedented.”

Because Fluminense won the Copa Libertadores in 2023, it allowed them to compete in the new-look and expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 in the United States.

The tournament brought together 32 teams from six confederations in a World Cup-style format, something that had never been done before at club level. It was an intriguing competition, particularly for the Brazilian sides, who showcased their talent impressively on the world stage.

Usually, South American clubs play the old Intercontinental-style competition at the end of a long and gruelling season. This time, however, the tournament took place during the peak of the South American calendar, meaning players were fresher and able to fully focus on the competition.

Fluminense enjoyed a strong tournament overall, beginning with a 0-0 draw against Borussia Dortmund, where Arias was once again a constant nuisance for defenders. He backed that performance up in the second match during a 4-2 victory over Ulsan HD FC, where he also got himself on the scoresheet.

In the knockout stages, Fluminense once again proved too strong for Inter Milan with another impressive performance. They then overcame Al Hilal with a 2-1 victory before eventually falling to Chelsea in a 2-0 defeat in the semi-finals.

Despite that loss, it was still a hugely successful campaign for Fluminense, who reached the final four of the competition. Much of that success was driven by their creative Colombian forward, with Arias earning a place in the Team of the Tournament after a series of outstanding performances.

He was a nightmare for defenders to handle throughout the competition. Given the freedom to play with fluidity and attack directly, Arias became the player who made Fluminense tick offensively.

“The Club World Cup was a special moment, a special tournament. It was the first tournament of that size, with that format, involving so much,” he said.

“I particularly enjoyed it a lot. I think it was a good performance both individually and collectively.

“It was a tournament that we approached with the responsibility and seriousness that a tournament of that size requires, and thank God, I think we did a good job representing the team and South America, because at one point we weren’t just defending a badge, we were also defending a continent. So I think it was a very memorable tournament for me and for everyone who experienced that moment there.”

Since the FIFA Club World Cup, Jhon Arias made the move to the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers, before later joining his current club, Palmeiras.

His time at Palmeiras has got off to a flying start, with Arias quickly picking up where he left off in South America. Playing regularly, he has once again proven to be a difficult player to handle, constantly causing problems for defenders with his directness and movement.

Palmeiras are one of the biggest clubs in South America, and Arias will be hoping he can help guide the club towards more silverware by the end of the season.

“Yes, it’s a joy to be at a team the size of Palmeiras these days, with its history, its ambitions, and the moment we’re living through,” he said on his move to Palmeiras.

“So I think it’s a source of pride and satisfaction to defend this jersey. And clearly, the adaptation to the team has been quick because the team helps me a lot with that, my teammates, the coaching staff, the team as a whole, they’ve always helped me, they’ve made me feel very comfortable, so that has made the adaptation much easier.

“But clearly, I’m aware of what’s expected when you wear this jersey, of the team’s ambition, that they always fight for titles, and hopefully we can win many titles with this shirt.”

This summer’s FIFA World Cup will take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and Jhon Arias will be hoping to make his mark on the world stage with Colombia.

Colombia have not appeared at a World Cup since the 2018 edition in Russia, where they narrowly lost on penalties to England in the Round of 16.

In this year’s tournament, two of Colombia’s three group-stage matches are set to take place in Mexico. They have been drawn alongside Uzbekistan, DR Congo, and Portugal.

Arias will be hoping to once again showcase his quality on the international stage and help guide his country through what Colombia will hope is a strong World Cup campaign.

His international career began in 2022, when he earned his first call-up following a series of impressive performances under the guidance of Fernando Diniz at Fluminense.

Since then, Arias has gone on to score four goals for his country while also earning 36 international caps.

“Well, I think Colombia has a good team, with good players. We’re in a very interesting process with our coach, and we’re arriving at the World Cup in a good moment, at a good point,” he said on the upcoming World Cup.

“We’re arriving with confidence, confident in everything, and we want to have a great World Cup, a good World Cup. I think that currently, any team has a chance.

“I think there are real possibilities to compete and giving our best so that, from there, we can dream and have the hope of taking Colombia as far as possible.”

From smashing windows in his aunt’s house as a youngster, Arias has gone on to build a very successful career, and 2026 promises to be another intriguing year for the Colombian.

With a FIFA World Cup on the horizon and Palmeiras competing on multiple fronts, there is still plenty left for Arias to achieve. If his recent rise is anything to go by, there is every chance more success could still be around the corner.