On 5 July 2013 Rayo Vallecano announced the arrival of Johan Andrés Mojica Palacio, a left-back born in Cali on 21 August 1992 who until then had only played in Colombia. The move anchored his career in Spain, where he went on to play for Rayo, Real Valladolid, Girona, Elche, Villarreal, Osasuna, Mallorca and Getafe, with a spell at Atalanta in Italy along the way. With Colombia he played at the 2018 and 2026 World Cups and was a runner-up at the 2024 Copa América.
Early years in Colombia
Mojica came through at Academia F.C., making his professional debut on 25 June 2011 in Categoría Primera B, the country’s second tier. In 2012 he joined Llaneros, also in the second division, where he became one of the team’s standout players. His form earned him a move to Deportivo Cali for the 2013 season, and he made his Categoría Primera A debut on 30 March 2013. A few months later he crossed the Atlantic.
Rayo Vallecano and Real Valladolid
His La Liga debut came on 15 September 2013, off the bench, in a 5-0 defeat by Málaga. In July 2014 the Madrid club signed him permanently and immediately loaned him to Real Valladolid, freshly relegated to the Spanish second division. He spent two seasons there, from 2014 to 2016, making 64 appearances and scoring nine goals. His first campaign earned him a place in the 2014-15 Segunda División Team of the Year, which put him on the radar of several clubs.
In January 2017 Rayo loaned him to Girona, then chasing promotion. Mojica started in the closing stretch of the season and was part of the side that won the Catalan club’s first-ever promotion to La Liga at the end of 2016-17. On 18 August 2017 the loan was extended for another year in the top flight, and in June 2018 Girona bought him outright on a four-year deal. That August he suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him out for almost all of 2018-19: he made a single appearance and the team went down.
Atalanta and Elche
In September 2020 he joined Atalanta on loan with an option to buy. He made his Serie A debut on 26 September 2020 and his Champions League debut on 3 November that year, collecting 13 appearances without scoring before the loan was cut short in January 2021. That same month he moved to Elche, again on loan, and in August 2021 the club signed him on a three-year contract. On 22 September 2021 he scored his first La Liga goal, against Villarreal.
Villarreal, Osasuna and Mallorca
On 1 September 2022 Villarreal signed him on a four-year deal. After one season with the Yellow Submarine he was loaned to Osasuna for 2023-24. On 23 July 2024 he signed a three-year contract with Mallorca. In November 2024 he scored a 91st-minute winner for the islanders, and in 2024-25 he played 37 matches with one goal. In 2025-26 he made 35 league appearances in a season that ended with Mallorca’s relegation.
Colombia national team
He made his Colombia debut on 26 March 2015 in a 6-0 friendly win over Bahrain, coming on for the final 27 minutes and scoring what would be his only international goal. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia he started all four of Colombia’s matches before they were knocked out by England on penalties (3-4) in the round of 16. At the 2024 Copa América in the United States he started six of seven games as Colombia lost the final to Argentina. On 25 May 2026 Néstor Lorenzo named him in the 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, where he started the 3-1 win over Uzbekistan on 17 June. By July 2026 he had won 49 caps.
Getafe
After Mallorca’s relegation, Getafe announced on 13 August 2026 an agreement with the Balearic club for the left-back’s transfer, keeping him in La Liga under José Bordalás. It was his eighth Spanish club since he first arrived at Rayo Vallecano in 2013.
Getafe