Born in El Cerrito, a small town in the Valle del Cauca Department of Colombia, the young Jefferson Lerma relocated north-west to nearby Neiva, where he developed and graduated from the youth set-up of Atlético Huila.
Jefferson Lerma: A Career in Pictures
A box-to-box midfielder whose all-action style has endeared him to fans around the globe, take a look back at Jefferson Lerma's career in pictures below.
Fittingly, his professional debut for Atlético came on 30th March 2013 against Millonarios, whom Palace are facing on tour in Chicago this summer!
The then-18-year-old made an immediate impact, starting nine of Atlético's next ten games. He recorded three assists in 25 in his first year as a professional and scored his first two senior goals the following year in a 3-1 win over Fortaleza FC.
Having made a big impact at a young age, Lerma joined Spanish side Levante, initially on loan, in August 2015.
Lerma made his La Liga debut for Levante five days later, and his first start the following month in defeat to Barcelona. The teenager went on to start 30 of his team’s subsequent 34 league matches, scoring once, but could not help Levante avoid relegation.
In summer 2016, Lerma represented Colombia's Under-23s at the Olympics, playing three times on the road to the quarter-finals where his team bowed out to hosts, and eventual gold-medalists, Brazil.
Signing permanently, Lerma was pivotal to Levante's revival in 2016/17, making 30 appearances on the way to being crowned Segunda División champions and winning promotion back to La Liga.
The following season, Lerma helped Levante finish 15th to retain their top-flight status, twice holding Real Madrid to draws, and featuring in one of his club's greatest-ever results: a 5-4 win against a Barcelona team featuring Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets.
Lerma made his senior Colombia debut in November 2017, coming on for the closing stages of a 2-1 defeat to South Korea.
The midfielder was named in Colombia’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia, featuring in all four matches before his nation went out to England in the Round of 16.
The midfielder’s burgeoning reputation attracted the overtures of Bournemouth, who made him their club-record signing in August 2018 at the age of just 23.
Lerma netted twice in his debut Premier League campaign, including on his first visit to Selhurst Park: a final-day 5-3 defeat in May 2019.
Lerma would go on to make two appearances for Colombia at the 2019 Copa América in Brazil, as his country suffered a quarter-final exit to Chile on penalties.
Lerma's tough-tackling, all-action style made him a fans' favourite amongst Bournemouth supporters, and he remained with the Cherries after they dropped out of the top-flight at the end of 2019/20, helping them to win promotion again in 2021/22.
Lerma earned a unique accolade on his return to the Premier League at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, proving quick off the mark against Aston Villa.
This previous season has been Lerma’s most productive in front of goal, the Colombian scoring five goals in 37 Premier League appearances and earning Bournemouth’s Player of the Year award in the process.
Welcome to Palace, Jefferson!