"Living in a city near the sea is a privilege, doing it as a Cagliari player is even more beautiful." Yerry Mina's contract expires on June 30, with the club working to reach an agreement, but he certainly doesn't seem like someone just passing through. Indeed, his message of love towards the capital and the island is very clear: "The city is wonderful," he said in the episode dedicated to Cagliari of "Campioni del Made in Italy", the international promotion project of Lega Serie A, Maeci (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) and Ice (Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies). "You can see the gulf, the sea gives you a feeling of openness and tranquility. It's beautiful, Sardinia is very similar to Colombia: there's a lot of harmony."
Mina has been playing in Cagliari since February 2024, taken from Fiorentina where in the first part of last season he had not collected any particular appearances. «The moment that has remained most impressed in my memory here is when I arrived, the first day. I went up to the top floor of the hotel where I was staying and I saw that there was tranquility and peace». Claudio Ranieri was decisive: «I thank him, he called me and asked me to come here. He wanted me to help him, but the only thing I did was learn from him at every moment. When I arrived I was not in shape, he gave me confidence and took me under his wing» .
For Mina, who played Colombia-Paraguay 2-2 on Tuesday night in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers , he returns to the group from today: he is aiming for a shirt for Sunday at 12.30 against Monza. A story that brought him from South America to Italy: «I started playing football as a goalkeeper, my father and my uncles wanted me to. Then I became a defender, now I'm here in Serie A and at Cagliari. When I arrived, my teammates impressed me, with great humility». With special thanks also for Davide Nicola: «Now there is a new coach, very ambitious and with a winning mentality that he has passed on to us. I am very grateful to him, he has allowed me to know myself better. I am here to give my contribution and grow».
Mina has opened a foundation in her homeland to help children. "When there are difficult moments I have a weapon: my smile." And she believes that Colombia and Sardinia have a lot in common: "Yes, there are many similarities. God has given something truly incredible to this place, it's incredible. I'm very happy here, I thank God for allowing me to share these moments with the fans."