Ulises Alejandro Dávila Plascencia (born 13 April 1991) is a Mexican professional footballer who last played as an attacking midfielder for A-League club Macarthur FC.

Ulises Dávila
Personal information
Full name Ulises Alejandro Dávila Plascencia
Date of birth (1991-04-13) 13 April 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
2001–2008 Guadalajara
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Guadalajara 15 (0)
2008–2009Tapatío (loan) 17 (3)
2011–2015 Chelsea 0 (0)
2011–2012Vitesse (loan) 2 (0)
2012–2013Sabadell (loan) 35 (4)
2013–2014Córdoba (loan) 37 (7)
2014–2015Tenerife (loan) 10 (1)
2015Vitória Setúbal (loan) 14 (0)
2016–2018 Santos Laguna 38 (3)
2019 Delhi Dynamos 6 (1)
2019–2021 Wellington Phoenix 49 (19)
2021–2024 Macarthur FC 61 (19)
International career
2007 Mexico U17 1 (0)
2011 Mexico U20 14 (5)
2011 Mexico U23 2 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Mexico
Winner CONCACAF U-20 Championship 2011
Third place FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 May 2024

Club career

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Guadalajara

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Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Dávila was champion with Guadalajara in the category 1990–91 in the National Youth Championship in July 2006, with a 1–0 win over Pachuca, where he scored the only goal. That same year, Chivas also won the Manchester United Premier Cup "Generation 1991", beating Arsenal by a score of 2-1. In the 2008–09 season, he was loaned to affiliate club Tapatio, scoring three goals in eighteen matches in the Primera División A.

He made his debut for Guadalajara in the Primera División on 29 August 2009, in a 2–2 draw against Pachuca. Dávila also featured in five matches in the Copa Libertadores tournament.

Chelsea

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On 27 August 2011, it was announced that Dávila had signed for English club Chelsea, signing a five-year contract, making him the first Mexican to sign with Chelsea.[1]

Loan to Vitesse

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On 30 August 2011, it was announced that Dávila joined Dutch football club Vitesse Arnhem on loan for the 2011–12 season. He was given the number 24 jersey. He made his club debut against Roda JC Kerkrade on 17 September 2011, with the game ending in a 5–0 win for Vitesse. Unlike his teammate from Chelsea, Tomáš Kalas, Dávila struggled to get into the starting XI and had been an unused substitute for a number of games. Playing for their reserve side, he had more success, scoring three goals in three games. On 19 February 2012, once again returned onto the bench against FC Twente but was an unused sub, the game ended in a 1–4 loss for Vitesse. On 28 April 2012, again returned onto the bench against Excelsior but again was an unused sub, the game ended in a 3–2 win for Vitesse. Dávila spent the majority of his time at Vitesse with the reserve squad.

Loan to Sabadell

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On 13 July 2012 CE Sabadell announced that Dávila will join them on loan for the 2012–13 season. On 29 September 2012, Dávila scored his first league goal against Guadalajara, winning the game 2–1. On 18 November Dávila scored a brace against Recreativo de Huelva, and also hit the post almost scoring his first hat trick, Sabadell won the game 5–2 away.

Loan to Córdoba

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On the last day of the 2013 Summer transfer window, Chelsea confirmed that Dávila was having a medical at Córdoba CF of the Spanish Segunda División. Later on that day he secured his deal on a season-long loan.

On 23 June, he scored an equaliser in injury time away to UD Las Palmas in the second leg of the play-off final, earning Córdoba's promotion to La Liga for the first time in 42 years.[2]

Loan to Vitória Setubal

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On 23 January 2015, Dávila ended his loan with Tenerife to join the Portuguese side on loan for the rest of the season.[3] On 3 August 2015, it was announced that Dávila will remain with Vitória for the 2015–16 season.[4]

Santos Laguna

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On 4 December 2015, Santos Laguna announced they had purchased Dávila from Chelsea and signed him to a three-year contract.[5]

Delhi Dynamos

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In December 2018, Dávila signed with Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos,[6] and scored his only goal on 17 February 2019, against Bengaluru FC in a 3–2 win.[7]

Wellington Phoenix

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In July 2019, Dávila signed with A-League side Wellington Phoenix on a two-year deal.[8] Dávila secured a fourth goal in six starts with a goal from outside the box against Brisbane Roar on 23 November 2019. The goal proved vital in their 2–1 victory, Wellington's first win of the 2019–20 A-League season.[9] Dávila helped the Phoenix to its best ever regular season finish, ending in third place for the League,[10] before the team lost 0–1 to Perth Glory FC in their first game of the elimination finals.[10] Dávila finished the season with 12 goals and five assists, winning the Johnny Warren Medal along with Miloš Ninković.[11]

Macarthur FC

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On 17 May it was announced that Dávila had signed a three-year deal to join Macarthur FC for the 2021–22 season.[12] On 6 November 2021, Dávila was announced as the captain for the 2021–22 A-League Men season.[13] On 24 June 2024, the club announced that they agreed a mutual termination of contract with Dávila.[14] At the same time, Dávila was arrested for allegedly being involved in match fixing.[15]

International career

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Youth

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Dávila was part of the under-20 side that played the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, in which Mexico finished as champions. He also participated in the 2011 Toulon Tournament in France, where Mexico finished as fourth place losing to Italy in a penalty shoot-out. Dávila scored two goals during the 2011 Toulon Tournament, scoring against France and Hungary.

Dávila was part of the 20-man squad that participated in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia. Mexico would eventually finish third in the tournament by beating France 3–1, and he was able to score a goal against France.[16]

Senior

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Dávila received his first call up to the senior national team to play the 2011 Copa América, to replace one of the five players that were suspended for having disciplinary problems in Quito, Ecuador. He did not play in any of Mexico's matches.

Personal life

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In March 2020, Dávila's wife Lily Pacheco gave birth to a son. Lily died on 30 May 2022.[17]

Match fixing scandal

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On 17 May 2024, Dávila along with two Macarthur FC teammates, Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, were arrested by New South Wales Police Force over an alleged match fixing scandal.[18]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 5 May 2024[19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental Others Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tapatío (loan) 2008–09 Primera División A 17 3 17 3
Guadalajara 2009–10 Mexican Primera División 7 0 5[b] 0 12 0
2010–11 Mexican Primera División 8 0 8 0
Total 15 0 5 0 20 0
Vitesse (loan) 2011–12 Eredivisie 2 0 1 0 3 0
Sabadell (loan) 2012–13 Segunda División 35 4 2 1 37 5
Córdoba (loan) 2013–14 Segunda División 37 7 1 0 38 7
Tenerife (loan) 2014–15 Segunda División 10 1 1 0 11 1
Vitória (loan) 2014–15 Primeira Liga 11 0 3 0 14 0
2015–16 Primeira Liga 3 0 1 0 4 0
Total 14 0 4 0 18 0
Santos Laguna 2015–16 Liga MX 15 2 4[c] 1 19 3
2016–17 Liga MX 19 1 10 3 29 4
2017–18 Liga MX 4 0 4 0 8 0
Total 38 3 14 3 4 1 56 7
Delhi Dynamos 2018–19 Indian Super League 6 1 6 1
Wellington Phoenix 2019–20 A-League 26 12 1[d] 0 27 12
2020–21 A-League 23 7 23 7
Total 49 19 1 0 50 19
Macarthur FC 2021–22 A-League 23 7 1 0 24 7
2022–23 A-League 13 3 3 3 16 6
2023–24 A-League 25 9 1 0 6[e] 4 32 13
Total 61 19 5 3 6 4 72 26
Career total 284 57 28 7 15 5 1 0 328 69
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, Copa del Rey, Taça da Liga, Copa MX and Australia Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
  3. ^ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
  4. ^ Appearance in A-League Finals
  5. ^ Appearances in AFC Cup

Honours

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Santos Laguna

Macarthur FC

Mexico U20

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Chelsea signs Ulises Dávila". Chelsea Official Website. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Las Palmas-Cordoba La Liga play-off ends with pitch invasion". Goal.com. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Chelsea midfielder makes long-awaited exit". Express.co.uk. 23 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Victory and Chelsea renew yield Uli Davila". Vitoria Setubal. 3 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Comunicado de Prensa – Contratación Ulises Alejandro Dávila". Santos Laguna. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  6. ^ Akarshak, Roy (1 December 2018). "ISL 2018-19: All you need to know about Ulises Davila, Delhi Dynamos' new attacker". Sportskeeda.
  7. ^ BFC Crashes To Disappointing Defeat The Hindu. Retrieved 19 September 2021
  8. ^ Rollo, Phillip (5 July 2019). "New signing Ulises Davila brings Mexican flair to Wellington Phoenix". Stuff.co.nz.
  9. ^ "Wellington Phoenix vs Brisbane Roar - A-League Round 7, 2019". FOX SPORTS. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b Lewis, Brad (28 August 2020). "Football: Wellington Phoenix preparing for worst-case scenario of 2021 season based in Australia". Newshub. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Best of the contenders for the Johnny Warren Medal". Hyundai A-League. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Davila hits Bullseye with $2 million Macarthur move". The World Game. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  13. ^ "The Bulls announce Ulises Dávila as Captain". Macarthur FC. 6 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  14. ^ Macarthur FC [@mfcbulls] (24 June 2024). "The club and Ulises Davila have agreed on a mutual termination of his contract going forward.The club will not be making any further comment at this stage" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Rugari, Vince (24 June 2024). "Colombian crime figure allegedly oversaw A-League betting scheme". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  16. ^ "Mexico down France for bronze". Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  17. ^ "'Devastating': Shock as A-League captain's wife tragically dies". News.com.au. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  18. ^ Hyland, Jesse (17 May 2024). "NSW Police arrest three A-League players including Sydney's Macarthur FC captain Ulises Dávila over betting scandal". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  19. ^ Ulises Alejandro Davila at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Davila Wins PFA Player For The Month Award For December". Wellingtonphoenix.com. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  21. ^ "PFA reveals LUCRF Super A-League Team of the Season". Pfa.net.au. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  22. ^ "PFA reveals player-voted Austraffic A-League Men Team of the Season on eve of Grand Final". Professional Footballers Australia. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  23. ^ Rugari, Vince (1 October 2022). "Macarthur FC dedicate Australia Cup trophy to grieving captain Davila". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
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