Yerry Fernando Mina González was born on 23 September 1994 in Guachené, Cauca, Colombia. He began as a goalkeeper before becoming a centre-back, and that late positional identity helped shape his unusual coordination and aerial timing. After early football with Deportivo Pasto and Santa Fe, he became one of Colombia's most promising defenders.
Palmeiras signed him in 2016, and in Brazil he won the league title while becoming a dominant aerial presence. Barcelona brought him to Europe in January 2018, and although opportunities were limited, the move confirmed his elite potential. Everton signed him after the 2018 World Cup, and he spent several seasons in the Premier League, where injuries interrupted but did not erase his reputation as a set-piece threat.
After Everton he played for Fiorentina and then Cagliari in Serie A, where he found a role as an experienced defender in a demanding tactical league. By May 2026 he is associated with Cagliari and Italian football, using his size, leadership and aerial power even as his minutes are managed carefully.
For Colombia he debuted in 2016 and became unforgettable at the 2018 World Cup, scoring three headed goals, including the stoppage-time equalizer against England in the round of sixteen. He has been part of Copa América campaigns and remained in the national-team pool under Néstor Lorenzo, although injuries have often shaped his availability.
Standing about 1.95 m, Mina is a right-footed centre-back whose aerial dominance is the first and last line of any scouting report. He attacks crosses like a striker, defends set pieces with authority and brings emotional energy to the back line. Stylistically he resembles a Colombian Mats Hummels in attacking set pieces, though with less passing range and more raw penalty-box presence.