# Elias Sierra

Elias Sierra-Cappelleti (born 25 August 2001) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eerste Divisie club VVV-Venlo.

## Club career
### Genk
#### Early years

Sierra, with a Spanish grandfather and an Italian grandmother on his father's side, was born in Hasselt, Belgium, and spent his early years in Zonhoven. He started playing football at local club Melosport Zonhoven and later moved to Sporting Hasselt, following in the footsteps of his older brother. While at Sporting Hasselt, scouts from Genk noticed his talent, and he joined Genk's under-8 team after just one season.
Sierra continued his development through Genk's youth teams and signed his first professional contract in August 2017, at the age of sixteen. In the 2019–20 season, he played with Genk's youth team in the UEFA Youth League.

#### First team

During the 2019–20 season's winter break, first-team coach Hannes Wolf selected Sierra for winter training camp in Benidorm. Sierra's exceptional performance during this period earned him a permanent place in the first team, and his contract was extended until 2023. He was assigned jersey number 16. On 13 February 2020, he appeared on the bench for the first time in the away match against Antwerp. Sierra made his official debut for the first team on 14 September 2020, during the league match against Beerschot, replacing Eboue Kouassi in the 81st minute as Genk were defeated 5–2.
Following the death of former Genk player Anele Ngcongca in November 2020, Genk decided to change Sierra's jersey number to 19, as they opted not to assign the number 16 to any other player out of respect for Ngcongca.
Sierra made only one senior appearance for Genk, before leaving the club in January 2021.

### Heracles Almelo

On 1 February 2021, Sierra completed a permanent transfer to Heracles Almelo, signing a contract until 2024. He made his debut for the club on 4 April 2021, replacing Orestis Kiomourtzoglou in the 65th minute of a 3–0 loss to PSV.
Sierra faced challenges in meeting expectations during his time at Heracles. Over one and a half seasons in the Eredivisie, he earned five starts and came on as a substitute in 16 matches. Following the club's relegation in 2022, he made 17 brief substitute appearances in the Eerste Divisie. Despite an ongoing contract, he was told to find a new club.

### VVV-Venlo

On 25 July 2023, Sierra signed a two-year contract with VVV-Venlo in Eerste Divisie, with an option for an additional season. He made his debut for the club on the first matchday of the season, starting and playing 65 minute of a 3–1 Limburg derby loss to MVV. On 15 December, he scored his first competitive goal for VVV in a 2–1 league loss against TOP Oss.

## International career

Born in Belgium, Sierra is of Spanish and Italian descent. He is a youth international for Belgium.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 7 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Genk | 2020–21 | Belgian First Division A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Heracles Almelo | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| Heracles Almelo | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Heracles Almelo | 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 1 |
| Heracles Almelo | Total | Total | 38 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| VVV-Venlo | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 72 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 4 |
* ↑ Appearance in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs

## Honours

Heracles Almelo
* Eerste Divisie: 2022–23