# Maximiliano Meza (footballer, born 1992)

Maximiliano Eduardo Meza (born 15 December 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for River Plate.

## Club career
### Gimnasia

Meza, off a stint with Club Cambá Porá, was promoted into Gimnasia y Esgrima's first-team in 2012 and subsequently made his professional debut on 10 December against Deportivo Merlo in the Primera B Nacional, he made fourteen league appearances in total in Gimansia's promotion-winning season of 2012–13. In the following season, Meza became a regular for the club as he made thirty-six appearances and scored five goals; the first five goals of his career. Over the next three league campaigns he made fifty-three appearances in all competitions while scoring seven goals, the last coming versus Colón on 23 May 2016.

### Independiente

On 18 September 2016, a week after making his 100th league appearance for Gimnasia, he left the club to sign for fellow Primera División club Independiente. His Independiente debut came in a 2016 Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 match against Brazilian side Chapecoense on 22 September. During the 2017–18 season, Meza made nine appearances and scored three goals in Independiente's 2017 Copa Sudamericana winning campaign.

### Monterrey

In January 2019, Meza moved abroad and joined Mexican club Monterrey; signing a five-year contract. He was assigned shirt number 32. He made his Monterrey debut on 13 January 2019 against León, before scoring his first goal in his second appearance on 20 January versus Querétaro. Later that year, Meza appeared eight times as the club won the CONCACAF Champions League; coming off the bench in both legs of the final against Tigres UANL. He was later part of the squads that won the 2019–20 Apertura and 2019–20 Copa MX. Meza also appeared in three matches and scored once, versus Al Hilal, at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.

### River Plate

In August 2024, Meza returned to Argentina and joined River Plate.

## International career

In March 2018, Meza was called up to the senior squad for friendlies with Italy and Spain later that month. He made his debut on 27 March against Spain, playing the full ninety minutes of a 6–1 defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano. Meza was selected in Argentina's official squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 21 May, having previously made the preliminary squad on 14 May. He made his first World Cup appearance on 16 June versus Iceland. He was part of a team that won the friendly Adidas Cup against Mexico in November 2018 He made Lionel Scaloni's initial forty-man squad for the 2019 Copa América, but was removed for the final tournament.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of 16 May 2021
Club statistics :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | 2012–13 | Primera B Nacional | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | 2013–14 | Argentine Primera División | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 5 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | 2014 | Argentine Primera División | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima | Total | Total | 100 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 12 |
| Independiente | 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| Independiente | 2017–18 | Argentine Primera División | 19 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 7 |
| Independiente | 2018–19 | Argentine Primera División | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| Independiente | Total | Total | 55 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 83 | 11 |
| Monterrey | 2018–19 | Liga MX | 19 | 2 | — | — | 8 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 2 |
| Monterrey | 2019–20 | Liga MX | 29 | 1 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 39 | 4 |
| Monterrey | 2020–21 | Liga MX | 36 | 7 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 9 |
| Monterrey | Total | Total | 84 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 103 | 15 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 239 | 28 | 18 | 4 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 294 | 38 |
* ↑ Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
* ↑ Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana
* ↑ Appearance(s) in Recopa Sudamericana
* ↑ Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
* ↑ Appearance in Suruga Bank Championship
* 1 2 Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
* ↑ Appearance(s) in FIFA Club World Cup

### International

    As of match played 1 February 2022
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Argentina | 2018 | 10 | 0 |
| Argentina | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 11 | 0 |

## Honours

Independiente
* Copa Sudamericana: 2017
* Suruga Bank Championship: 2018
Monterrey
* Liga MX: Apertura 2019
* Copa MX: 2019–20
* CONCACAF Champions League: 2019, 2021
Individual
* CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament: 2021