Mateo Cassierra

Zander Mateo Cassierra Cabezas (born 13 April 1997) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Atlético Mineiro and the Colombia national team.

Career

Deportivo Cali Cassierra made his debut for Deportivo Cali in 2015. Despite having played at Deportivo Cali with a jersey displaying "Casierra", his official name is spelled "Cassierra" (with two s's).

Ajax On 17 June 2016, Cassierra signed a five-year contract with Dutch club Ajax, lasting until 2021. The club paid Deportivo Cali €5.5 million to complete the transfer. Cassierra is the third Colombian player to play for Ajax after Daniel Cruz (2000–2003) and Davinson Sánchez. He scored a goal in his Eredivisie debut against Sparta Rotterdam in a 1–3 win.

Cassierra spent the majority of the 2017–18 season playing for the reserves' team Jong Ajax, in the Eerste Divisie. He finished as top scorer of the reserves team with 18 goals scored, helping his side to clinch their first championship since joining the professional ranks and competing in the second tier of Dutch football.

Loans On 2 June 2018, Ajax announced its loan, for one season, to FC Groningen. However, he returned after only half a season.

In January 2019, he joined Racing on loan until July 2020.

Sochi On 26 August 2021, he signed a two-year contract with an additional one-year option with Russian Premier League club PFC Sochi. Cassierra finished 2021–22 Russian Premier League as the second-best goal scorer with 14 goals, behind Gamid Agalarov who scored 19, as Sochi finished in 2nd place, club's historical best position.

Zenit St. Petersburg On 30 June 2022, Zenit St. Petersburg announced the signing of Cassierra to a three-year contract, with the option of an additional year.

After scoring only twice in the 2022–23 Russian Premier League, Cassierra started the 2023–24 season with 6 goals in the first 6 games, taking the top spot in the scoring race. He went into the winter break of the season in December with 14 goals, 6 goals ahead of the second-highest scorers. On 2 February 2024, Cassierra extended his contract with Zenit to June 2027.

On 19 May 2024, Cassierra scored 5 goals in a 5–1 victory over Akhmat Grozny. He became the first player to score 5 goals in a game since Russian Premier League was formed in 2002, and the third overall player to do so in the history of the Russian top-tier championship (following Viktor Panchenko in 1994 and Oleg Veretennikov in 1998). He finished the season as league's top scorer with 21 goals as Zenit came back on the last match day to claim their sixth consecutive title.

Atlético Mineiro On 23 January 2026, Cassierra joined Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro on a four-year deal.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first. No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 16 June 2023 Mestalla Stadium, Valencia, Spain 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours Ajax UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2016–17

Jong Ajax 2023–24, 2025–26 Russian Cup: 2023–24 Russian Super Cup: 2022, 2023, 2024

Individual Russian Premier League Forward of the Season: 2021–22 Russian Premier League Top scorer: 2023–24 (21 goals).