*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:44, 9 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:20, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
Soteldo was born in Acarigua, in the Venezuelan state of Portuguesa, and as a teen moved to Caracas. After a difficult time in Caracas,[1] his early coach in Caracas FC invited him to join Zamora FC at just 16 years old. On 16 September 2013, he made his first team debut (also his Primera División debut), coming on as a late substitute for Jhon Murillo in a 0–0 home draw against Atlético Venezuela.
Soteldo became a regular starter for Zamora from the 2014–15 season onwards, and scored his first professional goal on 28 January 2015, netting the opener in a 4–2 home win against Carabobo. On 20 May 2015, he scored a brace in a 3–2 home defeat of Mineros de Guayana. In the 2015 campaign, he played a key role by scoring twelve goals as his side lifted the Primera División trophy.
On 11 January 2018, Soteldo joined fellow top tier side Universidad de Chile on a one-year loan deal. La U paid US$ 1.5 million fee for the loan, with a buyout clause of 50% of his rights set on US$3.5 million.[4] A regular starter, he contributed with 26 league appearances and five goals.
Santos
On 12 January 2019, Soteldo agreed to a four-year contract with Série A side Santos FC.[5] He made his debut for the club twelve days later, replacing Felippe Cardoso and scoring his team's third in a 4–0 away routing of São Bento, for the year's Campeonato Paulista.
Soteldo soon became an undisputed starter under Jorge Sampaoli, scoring two braces in the month of November, against Botafogo (4–1 home win) and Goiás (3–0 away win).[6] On 11 February 2020, he renewed his contract until December 2023.[7]
Toronto FC
On 24 April 2021, Soteldo's club Santos FC confirmed that Soteldo had been sold to MLS side Toronto FC for a fee of $6.5 million. The fee covers 75% of his playing rights and enables Santos FC to avoid a transfer ban imposed by FIFA due to them failing to pay Huachipato back in 2019.[8][9] He made his debut on May 8, in a substitute appearance, against the New York Red Bulls.[10] On July 7, Soteldo scored his first goal for Toronto against the New England Revolution.[11]
On 11 August 2022, Santos announced the return of Soteldo on loan until July 2023, with a buyout clause.[13] However, he struggled with injuries during his second spell,[14] spending three months sidelined due to a shoulder injury in the early stages of the 2023 season.
On 16 June 2023, Santos announced that the club exercised the buyout clause on Soteldo's contract, purchasing 50% of his economic rights, and with the player signing a contract until June 2027.[15] However, he was separated from the first team squad on 1 July due to indiscipline problems,[16] but still officially signed his permanent contract six days later.[17]
On 6 August 2023, one day after the dismissal of head coach Paulo Turra, Soteldo was reinstated in the first team squad of Santos.[18] He scored his first goal after returning on 1 October, netting his team's fourth in a 4–1 home routing of Vasco da Gama; in that same match, he also stepped on the ball with both feet in an attempt to make a stunt, which led to a subsequent on-field brawl.[19]
Standing at 5 feet 2 inches tall, Soteldo is a diminutive and energetic forward, who is known for his flair and pace on the ball, as well as his playmaking ability and dribbling skills; although primarily a left winger, he is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder. Upon signing for Toronto FC in 2021, Neil Davidson of The Globe and Mail described Soteldo as a "dangerous winger who likes to take on defenders and befuddle them with his moves, Soteldo can make goals and score them." Toronto GM Ali Curtis also described him with the following words: "He’s a really shifty player. Elusive. Good in tight spaces."[24][25][26]
a.^ This edition was called Torneo de Adecuación, and should not be confused with the 2014–15 Venezuelan Primera División season. It served as a transitional tournament between the 'European' bi-annual format to the annual format.
^ ab"Yeferson Soteldo". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
^"La Guaira y Zamora definen al campeón del torneo Adecuación" [Guaira and Zamora define the champion of the Adecuación tournament]. La Viñotinto. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2023. Los dirigidos por Francesco Stifano se impusieron en casa no solo con el marcador, sino con un buen fútbol ofensivo desplegado por sus mejores jugadores como el colombiano Leandro Vargas, el panameño Ricardo Clarke y Yeferson Soteldo. [Those led by Francesco Stifano won at home not only with the score, but with good offensive football displayed by their best players such as the Colombian Leandro Vargas, the Panamanian Ricardo Clarke and Yeferson Soteldo.]
^"Zamora se coronó campeón del torneo venezolano" [Zamora crowned champion of the Venezuelan tournament]. ESPN Venezuela (in Spanish). 11 December 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2023. Apenas al minuto 1 el joven ariete del Zamora Jefferson Soteldo pisó el área por la izquierda y, después de un espectacular recorte, sacó un remate que se estrelló en el travesaño. [Just at 1', Zamora's young striker Jefferson Soteldo stepped into the area from the left and, after a spectacular cutback, took a shot that crashed into the crossbar.]
^De Laurentiis, Francisco; Ribeiro, Vinicius (30 January 2021). "Libertadores: Palmeiras marca aos 54 do 2º tempo, vence Santos em final nervosa e é bicampeão" [Libertadores: Palmeiras scores at 54' in the 2nd half, beats Santos in a nervous final and is two-time champion".]. ESPN Brazil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 November 2023. O árbitro Patrício Lostau, então, expulsou o comandante santista e ainda deu cartão amarelo a Soteldo. [Referee Patrício Lostau then sent off the Santos commander and also gave Soteldo a yellow card.]
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