Santiago Mele
Squad number 12 · Monterrey
Their 2026 World Cup
Santiago Mele travelled to the 2026 World Cup with Uruguay, wearing number 12, without ever getting on the pitch. His side played 3 matches (2 draws and 1 defeat) and bowed out in the group stage (Group H), beaten by Spain 1-0.
The goalkeeping job went to F. Muslera (3 matches, 225′) and S. Rochet (1 match, 45′).
Another 7 players in the Uruguay squad ended up the same way, without a single minute. The full run is on the Uruguay team page.
Biography
Santiago Andrés Mele Castañero (born 6 September 1997) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Liga MX club Monterrey and the Uruguay national team.
Club career A youth academy graduate of Fénix, Mele made his professional debut on 30 August 2016 in a 1–0 loss against Cerro. On 4 September 2017, Turkish top division club Osmanlıspor announced the signing of Mele on a five-year deal. He was immediately loaned out to second division club Ankaragücü for 2017–18 season. However, with Korcan Çelikay and Altay Bayındır ahead of him in pecking order, he didn't receive any playing minutes. Mele's loan was cut short in following January and he subsequently got loaned out to Spanish third division side Lleida Esportiu. With Diego Rivas Rego as first-choice goalkeeper, Mele failed to find playing minutes again. Two years after joining the club, Mele made his debut for Osmanlıspor on 17 August 2019 in a 2–1 win against Boluspor.
International career Mele is a former Uruguay youth international.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · text adapted from the article.
See all the tournament stats on the World Cup data hub.
Photo: Programa Satélite · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)