Wilinton Aponzá Carabali

Wilinton Aponzá Carabali arrives at Athletic Club after a career built almost entirely away from home. Born in Santiago de Cali, the forward came through the youth ranks at América de Cali before leaving Colombia in 2020 to try his luck in Portugal, first at Berço SC and then, from April 2021, at Portimonense SC. Loan spells took him further afield still, to S.C. Covilhã and then to Chungnam Asan FC in South Korea, before he moved to Brazil on a free transfer.

His most productive spell statistically came with FC Sheriff Tiraspol, where seven appearances and a goal in the 2023/24 season coincided with the club finishing as runners-up in the Moldovan Super Liga, ending a long run of championships for the Moldovan side. A brief stint at Torpedo Moscow in Russia's First Division followed, then he moved to Maccabi Herzliya, from where Athletic Club signed him as a free agent.

Aponzá has never represented Colombia at any level, and much of his career has instead been defined by short stays and loan spells rather than a settled first-team role. In Portugal, his performances for Portimonense earned him recognition as PortuGOAL's Figure of the Week, a media honour rather than an official award, but one that marked his time in the Primeira Liga. At 193cm, he offers a physical profile up front.