1166 Gustavo Puerta

Biography

Promising young midfielder Gustavo Puerta joined Hull City from German champions Bayer Leverkusen in August 2024, the transfer was a season-long loan with an option to buy at the end of the 2024/25 season.  After sitting on the bench unused at the end of August 2024 he made his debut in late October against Sunderland and as the season progressed he became an important of new manager Ruben Selles’ midfield engine room. He scored his first goal for the club in a January 2025 FA Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers and netted his first League goal when he squeezed in the winner in March 2025 against Oxford United.

In April 2025 it was announced that his option to buy had been triggered and he would transfer to the Tigers in July 2025. However the complications associated with the EFL’s transfer ban imposed in early July 2025 meant that Puerta’s transfer remained unratified and he was forced to return to Bayer Leverkusen.

Gustavo Adolfo Puerta Molano was born in La Victoria, a modestly sized town in central western Colombia.  He developed as a footballer in the nearby city of Tulua, where he played in an independent football academy.  He was scouted by Colombian top flight side Independiente Santa Fe as a sixteen year old but failed to make the grade, so returned to Tulua and waited two more years before joining Colombian second tier side FC Bogota in 2021.

Puerta made his senior debut for FC Bogota in July 2021 against Tigres FC and made 8 appearances during the rest of the season as his club finished second in the league.  He played regularly during the 2022 season, scoring his first senior goal in January 2022 against Quindio and taking his tally for the club to three goals in 31 senior appearances.

In January 2023 Gustavo transferred to German Bundesliga 1 side Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of two million euros.  Within a few days he was loaned to Bundesliga 2 side 1FC Nuremburg but he was unable to break into the first team, sitting once on the bench and remaining unused in March 2023 against Hamburger SV.  Returning to Leverkusen for the 2023/24 season, Puerta found first team action hard to come by as manager Xabi Alonso’s side completed the domestic season undefeated and lifted the Bundesliga title.  Gustavo made 10 appearances during the season, 7 as late substitute in Bundesliga matches and three in Europa League ties, two of which he started.  He was on the bench as Bayer reached the Europa League final only to lose to Atalanta, the club’s only senior defeat of the season.

In September 2025 Puerta abandoned all hope of a transfer back to the Tigers and joined Spanish Segunda Division side Real Racing Club de Santander, scoring on his debut that month against UD Almeria and playing an important role as Santander powered towards the LaLiga2 title and promotion to the Spanish top flight.

Puerta was chosen regularly for the Colombia Under-20 side during his time at FC Bogota, making his debut in November 2021 against Mexico.  He captained the side during 2022 and led his country into both the 2022 South American Games and the 2023 Under-20 World Cup hosted by Argentina.  In two years he scored four goals in 33 starts for the Under-20 side.  In March 2024 he was chosen for the Colombia senior side and was an unused substitute twice in matches against Spain and Romania, a feat he repeated in June 2025 against Peru. Eventually he was handed his first senior start for Colombia in November 2025, scoring on his debut against New Zealand, before adding three further caps during the 2025/26 season against Australia, Croatia and France.

Details

Nationality: Colombia
Date/Place of Birth: 23 July 2003, La Victoria (Colombia)
Hull City First Game: 20 October 2024, Sunderland H (Championship), 21 years, 89 days old
Hull City Final Game: 3 May 2025, Portsmouth A (Championship), 21 years, 284 days old

Clubs

FC Bogota (2021-2023), Bayer Leverkusen (2023-2025), 1FC Nuremburg (2023, loan), Hull City (2024-2025, loan), Real Racing Club de Santander (2025-current)

Hull City Record

Career: 31 apps, 2 goals