Jesus Joaquin Gaquit Melliza[1] (born April 20, 1992), nicknamed Jhan or Jess Melliza, is a Filipino professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Philippines Football League (PFL) club Kaya–Iloilo and the Philippines national team.[2]

Jesus Melliza
Personal information
Full name Jesus Joaquin Gaquit Melliza
Date of birth (1992-04-20) April 20, 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth La Paz, Iloilo City, Philippines
Height 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
Kaya–Iloilo
Number 13
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–2015 Far Eastern University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2017 Green Archers United
2017–2021 Stallion Laguna 61 (33)
2021– Kaya–Iloilo 26 (7)
International career
2022– Philippines 8 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 06:35; 2 January 2023

Early life edit

A native of La Paz, Iloilo City,[3][4] Melliza was born on April 20, 1992.[2][5]

Collegiate career edit

Melliza played for the Far Eastern University[4] in the football tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).[6] He ended his college stint with FEU in 2015 by helping his varsity team win the UAAP Season 77 football title.[7]

Club career edit

Green Archers United edit

Melliza was already suiting up for Green Archers United of the United Football League while he was still playing college football for FEU.[7]

Stallion Laguna edit

He was later signed in by Stallion Laguna by May 2017 to play at the Philippines Football League (PFL).[6] He was the top Filipino scorer in the PFL inaugural season.[8]

Kaya-Iloilo edit

Melliza and Stallion teammate Fitch Arboleda joined Kaya–Iloilo in March 2021.[9]

International career edit

Philippines U23 edit

He was to play for the under-23 team of the Philippines at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore but he was cut out from the final squad due to paperwork issues.[7]

Philippines edit

Melliza earned his first call up for the Philippines senior national team in October 2017 for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup third round qualifier match against Yemen,[10][11] however, he had yet to earn an international cap for the team. In June 2022, he made his debut for the Philippines in a 1–0 win against Mongolia in the third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.[12]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of 23 May 2023.
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stallion Laguna 2017 PFL 19 13 19 13
2018 19 8 4 2 23 10
2019 19 11 1 1 20 12
2020 4 1 4 1
Kaya–Iloilo 2021 3 0 3 0 6 0
2022–23 23 6 8 3 4 0 35 9
Career total 84 39 16 6 7 0 107 45

International goals edit

Scores and results list the Philippines' goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
2022
1. December 23, 2022 Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines   Brunei 3–0 5–1 2022 AFF Championship

Honors edit

Kaya–Iloilo

References edit

  1. ^ "Match Report: 2021 AFC Champions League group stage, Ulsan Hyundai vs. Kaya–Iloilo". stats.the-afc.com/. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC). 5 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Jesus Melliza". Stallion Laguna FC. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. ^ Guerrero, Bob (27 December 2017). "FOOTBALL The 2017 Passionate Fan Pinoy Football Awards". Rappler. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b Naorbe, Elyrose (14 September 2017). "Iloilo City native leads Stallion to final four". The Daily Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Jesus Joaquin Melliza". The Azkals. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b Guerrero, Bob (5 May 2017). "Philippines Football League previews: Voltes, Kaya, Meralco, Stallion". Rappler. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Guerrero, Bob (10 June 2015). "SEA Games football post-mortem and Azkals-Bahrain preview". Rappler. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  8. ^ Sevilla, Jeremiah (21 December 2017). "Melliza emerges as PFL's top homegrown scorer". Manila Times. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Kaya-Iloilo signs former Stallion players Arboleda, Melliza". Manila Bulletin. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Jhan-Jhan Melliza, Sean Patrick Kane called up as PFF releases Azkals lineup versus Yemen". Tiebreaker Times. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Jesus Melliza, on his journey in AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Qualifiers With the Philippine Squad". Stallion Laguna F.C. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Mongolia vs Philippines Match Summary". Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. ^ Del Carmen, Lorenzo (May 25, 2023). "Kaya-Iloilo ends 27-year wait, takes PFL crown". Tiebreaker Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.