Jefferson Lerma
#6 · Midfielder · age 31
Midfield destroyer; tournament veteran
79
WC26 rating
- Recent form
- 48
- Career peak
- 66
- League level
- 100
- Competition pedigree
- 51
- International pedigree
- 94
- Longevity
- 63
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Colombia’s midfield destroyer and the player whose discipline lets James operate without defensive responsibilities. Lerma’s role is the most-overlooked piece of Lorenzo’s tactical jigsaw — he wins balls in front of the back four, recycles possession at tempo, and connects defence to James without losing structural shape.
His Palace club partnership with Muñoz is the building block of the right side of Colombia’s team. Lerma’s tournament discipline — copious yellow-card history aside — has been the difference between Colombia controlling matches against high-pressing opposition and being overrun. Against Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes-Vitinha midfield, his minutes will be one of the tournament’s most important under-the-radar matchups.
Strengths
- Tackling and interceptions
- Tournament discipline
- Press resistance
- Long-range shooting
Recent form
Crystal Palace starter; key piece of their FA Cup-winning side.
Holds the Premier League record for the most yellow cards collected in a single season — a record he set during the 2018-19 campaign with Bournemouth (15 yellows).