In Colombia, ‘berraco’ means tough but when it is used to describe a person it means genius or legend. This is because, in order to become successful, you need to have thick skin to overcome the biggest adversities. Before Mejia made his professional debut with Vancouver FC, his life was a constant uphill battle.

“Every time I am training, my mind forgets about all the problems that happened in the past. That is what I play for,” shares Mejia.

Mejia was born in Medellín, Colombia in 2001, one year before the Colombian National Team won the Copa América for the first time in their history. That success provided a violence-stricken nation with only a brief moment of pride and happiness as a distraction to the realities of everyday life in Colombia.

“It was a bit difficult to kind of just go outside and enjoy having a fun time with my friends,” recalls Mejia. “Once in a while, there was a shooting and all this stuff. So it was a very hard childhood.”

While playing in the streets was dangerous, at home, Mejia’s dad would show him matches played by the legendary Colombian player, Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama. Mejia fell in love with the flair and precision passing game of Valderrama and would go on to try and replicate those skills. Mejia’s passion was so intense he would play in bare feet and with flat balls until, at the age of 14 years old, he was forced to leave Colombia.

“Guerrillas usually ask for money. If you don’t pay, then obviously bad stuff can happen,” explains Mejia. “My uncle, they were asking him for money and he refused to give it to them, they eventually killed him and then they were going after our family.”

Mejia and his mother escaped to Canada seeking refugee status, finally feeling peace of mind as their lives were no longer in constant danger. However, feeling safe does not mean life just automatically gets “easier.” Mejia’s mom worked as many hours as she could, to not only survive but to provide her family with the opportunity to keep playing football.

“For my mom, it was the toughest. She was working 16 to 17 hours a day,” says Mejia. “For me, seeing that, it was sad but it was for a better life eventually.”

Those efforts quickly got Mejia on track to becoming a football player. He began with Mountain United FC and while he was there, Mejia caught the attention of the Vancouver Whitecaps. He joined their residency program but unfortunately had to miss all the abroad games due to his immigration status.

“I was [at the Whitecaps] for three years and I could not show them what I was capable of. I could not show myself. I was just pretty much a training player,” comments Mejia. 

After being released, Mejia played in every competition possible in BC to keep his feet moving, representing sides like BB5 United, Tigers FC and the University of the Fraser Valley. Mejia was also part of the TSS Rovers team that won the inaugural season of League1 BC which gave him the confidence to try his luck in Vancouver FC’s open trials. 

“They liked what they saw in me, but they didn’t think I was ready” shares Mejia. “Eventually, I started playing with TSS, [VFC] liked what they saw with TSS and then they brought me back into another trial.”

During that second trial, Mejia was close to signing but an injury complicated the situation and eventually Vancouver moved on. Mejia put aside the frustration of this unlucky incident and committed more work to his recovery, impressing the coaches once more.

“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh they took my spot.’ No, it was more like ‘I’m happy for the club.’ I’m gonna keep fighting to at least get another chance, another spot,” recalls Mejia. 

Mejia’s determination and continued skill earned him his first professional contract. His debut came the same week he signed, playing eleven minutes in the match against Valour FC as a second-half substitute. What made the debut even more special was that it was the first time in Mejia’s career that his mother could watch her son play live.

“I think she was filming the whole game. Every time I would look at her seats, I saw her on her phone recording,” comments Mejia. “I cried a little bit after I came to her and told her ‘Mom, this is just the start.’”

While the hill is not as steep as it used to be, the Canadian-Colombian knows he has not made it to the top yet. Mejia trains every day knowing how much it cost him to be where he is now and he is ready to completely commit to staying.  But most importantly, Mejia won’t ever let his love of football and the joy it brings him fade away.  

¡Qué berraco parce! Keep working hard!

Vancouver FC is back in action at Willoughby Park on September 3, 2023, when defending champions, Forge FC, come to visit. Tickets to watch Mejia and other exceptional young stars play live are still available and can be purchased through this link.