Miguel Ángel Terceros Acuña (born 25 April 2004), sometimes known as Miguelito, is a Bolivian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Brazilian club Santos and the Bolivia national team.
Club career Early career Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Terceros began his career with at the age of five. In 2015, aged 11, he joined Proyecto Bolivia 2022, a social project which had partnerships with several clubs in South America.
Santos
Terceros joined Santos in 2018, aged 14, after being approved on a trial. However, as FIFA does not allow transfers of under-18 foreign players, he did not sign a contract with the club, only having an exchange program arrangement.
In March 2021, Terceros impressed during trainings and started to feature with Santos' under-23 squad. On 26 April 2022, one day after his 18th birthday, he signed a contract with the club until April 2027.
Terceros was officially able to play for Santos in July 2022, after being registered once the transfer window opened; he started to feature in the under-20 squad. He made his first team – and Série A – debut on 10 October, coming on as a late substitute for goalscorer Lucas Braga in a 4–1 home success over Juventude; he also became the first Bolivian to play for the club.
In the following two seasons, Terceros featured rarely with the main squad: in 2023, he mainly appeared with the under-20s, and in 2024, now fully integrated as a first team member, he was often a third-choice under head coach Fábio Carille. Despite being sparingly used in the first match of the 2025 season, he lost space after the arrivals of new signings Benjamín Rollheiser, Thaciano, Gabriel Veron and Álvaro Barreal, and was close to a loan deal to Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv in February, but the deal later collapsed.
Loan to América Mineiro On 21 March 2025, América Mineiro announced the signing of Terceros on loan until the end of the season. He immediately became a starter for the new side, scoring seven goals and providing five assists as the club avoided relegation.
Breakthrough Back to Santos for the 2026 season, Terceros was included in the first team squad by head coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda. Regularly used in the first two months of the campaign, he lost space in the first matches after the arrival of Cuca, but regained his starting spot in May, and scored his first goal for Peixe on the 30th of that month, in a 3–1 home win over Vitória.
On 12 June 2026, Terceros renewed his contract with Peixe until May 2029.
International career
Terceros featured for the Bolivia under-15 national team in the 2019 South American U-15 Championship, playing in all five matches during the competition. In December 2020, aged just 16, he was called up by manager César Farías with the under-20s for an international friendly tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
On 30 October 2021, Terceros was called up by Farías, but now to the full side for one friendly against El Salvador and two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Peru and Peru. He made his full international debut on 24 September 2022, replacing Ramiro Vaca in a 2–0 friendly loss against Senegal in Orléans, France.
On 24 May 2024, Terceros was included in Antônio Carlos Zago's 26-man squad for the 2024 Copa América. He scored his first international goal on 12 June, in a 3–1 friendly loss to Ecuador at the Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania; it was also his first professional goal.
Terceros was Bolivia's top scorer in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with seven goals, only one behind Lionel Messi. On 26 March 2026, he scored the winner in a 2–1 win over Suriname to send the nation to the inter-confederation play-off final.
Personal life In May 2025, Terceros was accused of racial abuse by Allano during a match between América Mineiro and Operário Ferroviário; he was sentenced to a five-match ban.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueState leagueCopa do BrasilContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSantos2022Série A20—00—20202320002030702024Série B50———502025Série A004000—402026111801061262Total2011203091442América Mineiro (loan)2025Série B257———257Career total4581203091699
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBolivia20222020236020241152025113202661Total369
Scores and results list Bolivia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Terceros goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Miguel TercerosNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 12 June 2024 Subaru Park, Chester, United States 1–3 1–3 Friendly2 5 September 2024 Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto, Bolivia 3–0 4–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification3 10 September 2024 Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile 2–1 2–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification4 10 October 2024 Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto, Bolivia 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification5 19 November 2024 Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto, Bolivia 2–1 2–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification6 20 March 2025 Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru 1–2 1–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification7 10 June 2025 Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto, Bolivia 1–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification8 9 September 2025 Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto, Bolivia 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification9 26 March 2026 Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico 2–1 2–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Santos U20 : 2022
Santos Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 2024
References
External links