| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla | ||
| Date of birth | 12 June 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Buin, Chile | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right Wingback / Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Juventus | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999-2007 | Universidad Católica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2012 | Udinese | 127 | (6) |
| 2012– | Juventus | 19 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008– | Chile | 44 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 May 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 June 2012 | |||
Club career
Background
Isla was raised by a single mother, and did not meet his biological father until much later. 'Isla' is his mother's family name, which is doubled in accordance with naming customs in Spanish-speaking countries in similar cases.
Early years
Isla started in the youth ranks of Universidad Católica in 1999 as a forward. However his lack of height caused him to switch positions to defender, as Católica lacked quality youth defenders. Isla played well enough in the new position to earn a call-up to the first team in 2006, but never played an official match and in 2007, coach José del Solar sent him back to the youth team.
Udinese
Isla had a notable performance during the summer of 2007 in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and was thereafter signed by Udinese of the Serie Ain Italy on a 5-year contract. Like Roberto Carlos and Cafu of 2002 World Cup winners Brazil, Isla fits the description of a traditional South American full back when asked to fulfill a rather defensive role in the wings. He can both defend and attack and has been known to turn innocent possession-based games into quick-paced counterattacks with ease. His technique is well accompanied by a surprising pace and stamina. Isla made his professional debut on 19 December 2007 versus Palermo in the Coppa Italia. On 8 March 2008, Isla played his first game as a starter in Serie A for Udinese, also against Palermo, a game which ended in a 1–1 draw. For Udinese, Isla has admitted he has had to adapt his style by being more conservative with his game. In the games he started for the Udine club he has played as a right and left back while also playing a few games at wing and centre midfield.
After the departure of Simone Pepe, Isla often played as a right wing-back in a 3–5–2 formation during Udinese's 2010–11 Serie A campaign, due to a long-term injury to Dušan Basta. In 2011–12, he played as a right midfielder in a 4–1–4–1 or 4–4–1–1 formation against Arsenal in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League playoffs round, also after the departures of several teammates.
Juventus
On 15 June 2012, Juventus announced Isla's arrival to a medical ahead of a prospective move to join the team for the upcoming 2012–2013 season.[2]Following his move to Juventus, Isla said moving to Juventus was his dream come true and that he was excited to join his Chilean team-mate Arturo Vidal. Isla told TVN:
Isla made his debut for Juventus on 19 September, coming off the bench to replace Stephan Lichtsteiner in the 77th minute of the Champions League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
International career
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
Isla took part with Chile in the 2007 South American Youth Championship, where Chile qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. During the U-20 World Cup Isla was noticed worldwide for his skill with the ball and versatility. Isla was an integral part of the team that finished in third place. In the quarterfinal game versus Nigeria, Isla played defender, midfield, and forward due to a number of injuries to other squad members. The game went into extra time after finishing scoreless in regulation and in the added time, Chile scored four goals. Two of the goals came from Isla, one from the penalty spot. After each goal Isla ran over to the Chilean telecast camera (which was marked by a Chilean flag) and dedicated his goals to his grandmother and aunt, who was pregnant. This tournament and his performance in it led Isla to be transferred to Serie A team Udinese before his professional debut in the Chilean league, a very rare occurrence.
Senior
New Chilean coach Marcelo Bielsa called Isla up at the age of 19 for his first full Chile senior squad international cap in September 2007 in a friendly againstSwitzerland, the hosts of Euro 2008, versus his club-mate Gökhan Inler. He started as a centre midfielder. His strong performances earned another call-up in the next friendly against Israel, where he came on as a second half substitute. He played his first 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match in March 2009 as a starter versus Peru. Isla made another start against Uruguay where, in a scoreless draw, he was sent off after 33 minutes following two yellow cards. He was a starter in all of Chile's four 2010 World Cup games.
