Daniel Arcila

Daniel Arcila
Personal information
Full name Daniel Felipe Arcila Rojas
Date of birth (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 24)
Place of birth Mariquita, Colombia
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 León
Number 13
Youth career
2013–2022 Envigado
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2025 Envigado 85 (7)
2025– León 30 (8)
International career‡
Colombia U23
2026– Colombia 1 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 September 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 October 2026

Daniel Felipe Arcila Rojas (born 16 May 2002) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga MX club León and the Colombia national team.

Early life and youth career

Arcila was born on 16 May 2002 in Mariquita, Tolima, Colombia. He grew up playing microfútbol in his hometown. Arcila was discovered at a scouting event in Honda by Wilson James Rodríguez, father of James Rodríguez, who encouraged him to try out for the Envigado academy in 2013. He progressed through the Envigado youth teams and was coached by Andrés Orozco, whom he credits for his development during the time.

Arcila helped the Envigado U20 side win the Supercopa Juvenil FCF [es] in 2022, scoring the lone goal in the first leg of their 3–0 aggregate win over Cúcuta Deportivo in the final. However, he was not able to join the team at the 2023 U-20 Copa Libertadores because he was born before the cutoff date.

Club career

Arcila made his professional debut with the Envigado first team in the Liga DIMAYOR on 13 May 2022, coming on as a second-half substitute for William Hurtado in a 1–1 draw against Deportes Tolima at the Estadio Manuel Murillo Toro. After becoming a regular starter in 2023, he scored his first professional goal on 10 November 2024, netting in a 1–0 win over Deportivo Cali. Arcila recorded 11 goals and five assists in 97 official appearances (league and cup) with Envigado from 2022 to 2025, including four goals in the 2025 Copa Colombia. In his final match with the club on 24 July 2025, he recorded a hat-trick in a 4–3 league victory over Independiente Medellín.

On 4 August 2025, Arcila was officially signed by Liga MX club León. This was announced via a boxing-themed hype video in which he appeared alongside club legends Marco Antonio "Chato" Ferreira and Martín Peña. Arcila made his club debut on 11 August, coming on as a halftime substitute and scoring in the 65th minute of a 3–1 defeat to Monterrey, and made seven total appearances in the Apertura 2025 season. Arcila then played 14 matches for León in the Clausura 2026 season, netting three goals.

In August 2026, Arcila netted seven goals in a six-match scoring streak, which received substantial media coverage, especially in Colombia. On 1 August, he scored in a 1–0 league win over Pachuca. During the Leagues Cup league phase, he scored the game-winner in the 79th minute of a 1–0 victory over Nashville on 5 August, and then scored the second goal in a 2–1 comeback win over Orlando City three days later. On 12 August, Arcila recorded a brace in a 3–2 victory over a Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami, including the game-winner in the 83rd minute, to secure León's spot in the knockout stage and eliminate Inter Miami from the competition. He concluded his streak with goals in consecutive Liga MX victories over Necaxa and Monterrey on 17 and 21 August, respectively.

International career

On 7 October 2026, Arcila made his debut for the Colombia national team in a friendly against Peru, scoring Colombia's second goal in a 2–0 victory.

Career statistics

International statistics

As of match played 6 October 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Colombia 202611
Total11
Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Arcila goal.
List of international goals scored by Daniel Arcila
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
16 October 2026Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, United States Peru2–02–0Friendly

Player profile

Arcila is an attacking midfielder and is left-footed.

Honours

Envigado

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Daniel Arcila, la nueva estrella del fútbol colombiano, y es tolimense". El Cronista (in Spanish). 25 July 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Castiblanco, María Camila (25 July 2025). "Daniel Arcila brilló con triplete en triunfo de Envigado a Medellín: "Una alegría inmensa"". Blu Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Contreras Sabogal, Gustavo (19 November 2022). "Cúcuta Deportivo, subcampeón de la Supercopa Juvenil". La Opinión [es] (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "CAMPEONES DEL TORNEO NACIONAL SUB 20" (in Spanish). Envigado F.C. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "CONCENTRADOS | FECHA 07" (in Spanish). Envigado F.C. 23 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Pulido, Carlos (13 August 2026). "Esta es la historia de Daniel Arcila, el colombiano que le amargó el regreso a Lionel Messi al Inter Miami en la Leagues Cup de la Concacaf". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  7. 1 2 "León amarra a joya colombiana: Daniel Arcila, a una firma de llegar a la Fiera". Noticieros En Línea (in Spanish). 27 July 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Bravo, Diego Fernado (10 November 2024). "Envigado respira: Triunfo agónico frente al Deportivo Cali". Diario del Sur [es] (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Ballesteros, Enrique (22 August 2026). "Daniel Arcila: de la Cantera de Héroes a ser el goleador que eliminó al Inter Miami" (in Spanish). Claro Sports. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Envigado venció 4-3 al Medellín en la fecha 3 de la Liga colombiana". El Nuevo Siglo (in Spanish). 24 July 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 Martínez González, Brandon (12 August 2025). "¿El nuevo James? Daniel Arcila suplió ausencia del "10" y anotó su primer gol con León de México". El Colombiano (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Daniel Arcila será nuevo compañero de James Rodríguez en León". ESPN (in Spanish). 4 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Durango Hurtado, Jheyner A. (5 August 2025). "Daniel Arcila, la "nueva joya colombiana" que hará dupla con James Rodríguez en León de México". El Colombiano (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Pantoja, Juan (11 August 2025). "Monterrey no perdonó errores defensivos de La Fiera; Arcila debutó con golazo". La Silla Rota Guanajuato (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Ficha Jugador: Daniel Felipe Arcila Rojas" (in Spanish). Liga MX. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Díaz Sánchez, Wilson (22 August 2026). "El colombiano Daniel Arcila está imparable en México: 7 goles en 6 partidos, así fue su última anotación". El Colombiano (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  17. 1 2 Pantoja, Juan (26 August 2026). "Los goles de Arcila llaman la atención en Colombia ¿Será llamado a la selección?". La Silla Rota Guanajuato (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  18. ↑ Ruiz Fernández, Mauricio (1 August 2026). "Arcila ilumina el Nou Camp y León encuentra su primer triunfo del torneo frente a Pachuca". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Domínguez, Franco (5 August 2026). "MATCH RECAP: Daniel Arcila's late goal lifts Club Leon towards victory against favorite Nashville". Leagues Cup. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  20. ↑ Foley, Kyle (8 August 2026). "Orlando City can't protect lead at home, falls to León in Leagues Cup". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Colombia 2-0 Peru (7 Oct, 2026) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. 7 October 2026. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
  22. ↑ Daniel Arcila at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 October 2026.
  23. ↑ "Leagues Cup 2026 Top Scorers". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 7 September 2026.