Last Updated on September 18, 2026 by Miguel Manjate
Wilder José Cartagena Mendoza is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Orlando City SC. Born on September 23, 1994, in El Carmen, Chincha, Peru, Cartagena grew up in a community with a deep football tradition before developing through Alianza Lima and eventually representing Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Family has remained central to Cartagena throughout his international career. He is married to Andrea Valcárcel, with whom he has a daughter named Tiziana. The couple also announced in 2025 that they were expecting a second child, a boy. Although the names of Wilder’s parents have not been widely published, he has spoken openly about both of them, while his maternal grandfather, former Alianza Lima goalkeeper José Mendoza, is an important part of his family’s football history.
Who Is Wilder Cartagena’s Wife?
Wilder Cartagena’s wife is Andrea Valcárcel. The couple have been together for many years, with Andrea accompanying the Peruvian midfielder through several stages of his career abroad.
Cartagena publicly discussed Andrea as his partner while playing for Godoy Cruz in Argentina. In a 2020 interview, he explained that he was enjoying life in Mendoza with Andrea and their young daughter Tiziana, who was around a year and a half old at the time.
The family had already experienced several changes connected with Wilder’s football career. His professional journey took him from Peru to Portugal, Mexico, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates before he eventually established himself with Orlando City in the United States.
Andrea has remained beside him during much of that journey, providing the family stability that Cartagena has repeatedly described as important when making career decisions.
Wilder Cartagena and Andrea Valcárcel’s Wedding
Cartagena proposed to Andrea in October 2022 at a restaurant on Lima’s Costa Verde. The location carried special meaning because it was reportedly the place where the couple first met.
During dinner, Cartagena arranged a marriage proposal, and Andrea accepted. The moment was subsequently shared publicly through their social-media accounts.
The couple married on November 30, 2022. Their wedding was attended by relatives and friends, including Cartagena’s close friend and then-Orlando City teammate Pedro Gallese.
After the ceremony, Wilder shared photographs celebrating his marriage and publicly referred to Andrea as his wife. The wedding represented the formal continuation of a relationship that had already produced their daughter and survived the challenges of living in several different countries.
How Andrea Valcárcel Has Supported Wilder Cartagena’s Career
Andrea has been particularly important during decisions involving the family’s living arrangements. Cartagena revealed that one reason he returned to Alianza Lima from Mexico in 2019 was that Andrea was pregnant and he wanted their daughter to be born in Peru while the family remained close to relatives.
His eventual move to Orlando City was also approached as a family decision. Cartagena admitted that the initial financial conditions of his MLS move were not necessarily the most attractive offer available to him, but he and his family believed Orlando could provide a good environment for their daughter.
That decision proved successful. Cartagena later said his family was happy in Orlando and described the city as a wonderful place for his daughter to grow up.
Andrea was also closely involved during Cartagena’s difficult recovery from a serious Achilles tendon injury in 2025. The midfielder explained that being unable to travel with the team gave him more time at home and strengthened his relationship with both his wife and daughter.
Does Wilder Cartagena Have Children?
Wilder Cartagena has one publicly well-documented daughter, Tiziana. In 2025, Wilder and Andrea also announced that they were expecting their second child, a boy.
Tiziana Cartagena
Tiziana is Wilder Cartagena and Andrea Valcárcel’s first child. She was born around 2019 and has been mentioned by her father in several interviews throughout his career.
When Cartagena was playing for Godoy Cruz in 2020, he said Tiziana was approximately a year and a half old and had begun walking while the family was living in Mendoza.
Becoming a father influenced several of Cartagena’s professional decisions. He explained that Andrea’s pregnancy played a role in his 2019 return to Alianza Lima because he wanted his daughter to be born in Peru and close to the extended family.
Tiziana later moved with her parents to the United States after Cartagena joined Orlando City. Wilder has said that seeing his daughter grow up happily in Orlando has been one of the reasons the family has enjoyed remaining in Florida.
During his injury rehabilitation in 2025, Cartagena spoke particularly warmly about the increased time he was able to spend with Tiziana. He said that football normally required considerable travel, which sometimes meant returning home after long periods away.
While recovering, he was able to take his daughter to swimming, visit parks with her and spend more time playing at home. Cartagena said the experience strengthened the bond between father and daughter despite the frustration of being unavailable for football.
Wilder Cartagena’s Second Child
In June 2025, Cartagena and Andrea announced publicly that they were expecting their second child.
Wilder subsequently confirmed in an interview that the baby was a boy. He expressed his happiness at having a daughter and now expecting a son, explaining that Andrea was being carefully looked after during the pregnancy.
At that stage, Cartagena said the baby was expected to arrive around October 2025, potentially close to the period when he hoped to return from his Achilles injury.
As of now, publicly accessible established reporting reviewed for this profile does not provide sufficiently clear confirmation of the boy’s name or exact birth date. For that reason, those details should not be guessed from unverified social-media material.
Who Are Wilder Cartagena’s Parents?
Wilder Cartagena has spoken directly about both his mother and father, although their full names have not been consistently published by reliable sports sources.
He was raised in El Carmen, Chincha, an area famous in Peru for producing athletes and footballers. Cartagena has described his wider family as strongly connected to football.
His father was himself a footballer, while his mother initially had greater reservations about Wilder pursuing the sport professionally because she wanted him to continue focusing on his education.
Wilder Cartagena’s Father
Wilder Cartagena’s father was a footballer, although his full name has not been reliably established in major published profiles.
Cartagena recalled that football was an important part of the time they spent together during his childhood. He and his father would go to watch district-league matches in El Carmen, sometimes arriving around eight in the morning and remaining at the stadium until approximately six in the evening.
Those long days watching local football helped strengthen Wilder’s passion for the sport. He grew up playing constantly with other children in his community and began dreaming of eventually becoming a professional.
Local newspaper Correo has described Cartagena as coming from a family of notable sportspeople and reported that his father had been a recognized footballer who played in several stadiums around Peru.
Although his father’s own career has received little detailed national coverage, the football environment he provided clearly had an influence on Wilder’s development.
Wilder Cartagena’s Mother
The name of Wilder Cartagena’s mother has also remained largely outside public football coverage.
Cartagena has nevertheless spoken openly about her response to his childhood ambitions. He recalled that his mother had doubts about him pursuing football because, like many parents, she wanted her son to succeed academically and have educational opportunities.
Her concerns did not prevent Wilder from continuing his development. His family eventually supported the decision after recognizing how serious his passion for football had become.
Cartagena’s maternal side also carries an important football history. His maternal grandfather was José Mendoza, a former goalkeeper connected with Alianza Lima.
Wilder Cartagena’s Grandfather: José Mendoza
José Mendoza was Wilder Cartagena’s maternal grandfather and an important figure in the football history of his family.
Mendoza was a goalkeeper and became associated with Alianza Lima. Tragically, he was among those who died in the Fokker F-27 air disaster involving the Alianza Lima team on December 8, 1987.
Cartagena was born several years after the tragedy and therefore never had the opportunity to meet his grandfather.
In December 2020, Wilder posted an emotional tribute remembering José Mendoza on the anniversary of the disaster. He expressed how much he would have liked the opportunity to know his grandfather and for Mendoza to have met his great-granddaughter Tiziana.
The connection carries particular significance because Cartagena later became an Alianza Lima player himself. He progressed through the club’s youth structure, made his professional debut with Alianza and returned for another spell in 2019.
Wearing the same club colors associated with his maternal grandfather added another layer to Cartagena’s connection with one of Peru’s most historic football institutions.
Does Wilder Cartagena Have Siblings?
Reliable public sources reviewed for Wilder Cartagena’s family background do not clearly identify any brothers or sisters by name.
Cartagena has discussed his parents, wife, daughter, grandfather and other extended family connections much more frequently than siblings. As a result, it cannot currently be stated with confidence whether he has brothers or sisters or how many siblings there may be.
This does not mean Cartagena is necessarily an only child. It simply means that information about possible siblings has not been sufficiently documented by dependable public sources.
Wilder Cartagena’s Extended Football Family
Cartagena comes from an unusually football-connected extended family in Chincha.
One of the more interesting family stories emerged during Peru’s participation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. According to an anecdote later told by André Carrillo and Luis Advíncula, Cartagena and Jefferson Farfán discovered during the tournament that they were related.
Reports recount that Farfán’s mother informed the players that Wilder and Jefferson were cousins. Luis Advíncula then explained that he also shared a family connection with Cartagena and described Wilder as his nephew.
The precise extended genealogy has not been extensively documented, but the story reflects the numerous family connections among footballers whose roots are in the Chincha region.
Cartagena has also been reported as a relative of former footballers such as Roberto Guizasola and the late Maurinho Mendoza.
Another documented relative is Juan Guillén, who was mayor of El Carmen when Cartagena was formally recognized as a distinguished son of the district in 2017. Local reporting described Guillén as a close relative of the midfielder.
Wilder Cartagena’s Childhood in El Carmen, Chincha
Cartagena’s family story is closely tied to El Carmen, a district in Chincha Province with a strong Afro-Peruvian cultural and sporting tradition.
He has recalled that football dominated his childhood. He and other children would spend large portions of their free time playing, often on basic local pitches and in the streets.
Life changed following the devastating 2007 earthquake in Peru. Cartagena’s school was seriously affected, leading him to continue his education in Lima.
The move ultimately had a major effect on his football career. While studying in the capital, he became friends with young players involved in organized football and eventually earned an opportunity to try out for Alianza Lima.
Cartagena originally played as a goalkeeper before being moved into midfield, the position in which he would eventually build his professional and international career.
Wilder Cartagena’s Own Family and His Career Abroad
Cartagena has repeatedly considered his wife and children when making career decisions.
His football career has taken him through several countries, including Portugal with Vitória de Setúbal, Mexico with Veracruz, Argentina with Godoy Cruz, the United Arab Emirates with Kalba and the United States with Orlando City.
Those moves meant Andrea and Tiziana had to adapt to different cultures and environments alongside him.
Cartagena has said that having a young family changed the way he evaluated transfers. Financial conditions remained important, but factors such as quality of life, safety and the environment in which his daughter would grow up became increasingly significant.
That perspective contributed to his satisfaction in Orlando, where he has repeatedly said his family feels comfortable.
Wilder Cartagena’s Family During His Injury Recovery
Cartagena faced one of the hardest periods of his career after suffering a serious Achilles tendon injury during Orlando City’s 2025 preseason.
The injury required surgery and kept him away from competitive football for an extended period. Yet Cartagena found one positive aspect in the situation: considerably more time with his family.
He explained that regular football travel had previously prevented him from participating in many everyday activities with Tiziana. During rehabilitation, he was able to take her to swimming lessons, go to the park and spend ordinary afternoons playing with her.
Cartagena also said the extra time strengthened his connection with Andrea. During the same rehabilitation period, the couple learned they were expecting their second child.
The combination of recovery and an expanding family made 2025 one of the most personally significant years of Cartagena’s life away from the field.
Wilder Cartagena’s Future With Orlando City
Orlando City demonstrated its continued confidence in Cartagena by signing him to a new contract in November 2025 despite his long injury absence.
The agreement runs through the 2026 season and includes a club option for 2027.
Orlando City described Cartagena as an important leader within the squad whose influence goes beyond his performances during matches.
For Cartagena, remaining in Orlando also allowed his family to continue living in a city he had previously praised as a positive environment for raising his children.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wilder Cartagena’s Family
Who is Wilder Cartagena’s wife?
Wilder Cartagena’s wife is Andrea Valcárcel. The longtime couple married on November 30, 2022.
Does Wilder Cartagena have children?
Cartagena has a daughter named Tiziana. Wilder and Andrea also announced in 2025 that they were expecting a second child, a boy.
Who is Wilder Cartagena’s daughter?
His daughter is Tiziana. She has lived with her parents during Cartagena’s career in Argentina and the United States and is frequently mentioned by Wilder when discussing his family life.
Who are Wilder Cartagena’s parents?
The full names of Cartagena’s father and mother have not been reliably published by major sports sources. His father was a footballer, while his mother initially encouraged Wilder to place considerable importance on his education.
Was Wilder Cartagena’s father a footballer?
Yes. Local reporting describes Cartagena’s father as a recognized former footballer. Wilder has also recalled spending entire days watching local league football with his father as a child.
Who was Wilder Cartagena’s grandfather?
His maternal grandfather was José Mendoza, a goalkeeper associated with Alianza Lima who died in the club’s tragic Fokker F-27 air disaster in December 1987.
Does Wilder Cartagena have siblings?
Reliable public sources do not clearly identify any brothers or sisters, so information about Cartagena’s siblings remains private or undocumented.
Are Wilder Cartagena and Jefferson Farfán related?
Peruvian media have reported that Cartagena and Jefferson Farfán discovered during the 2018 World Cup that they were cousins through their extended Chincha family connections.
Is Wilder Cartagena related to Luis Advíncula?
Luis Advíncula publicly stated during a conversation with teammates that Cartagena is also part of his extended family and referred to Wilder as his nephew.
Where is Wilder Cartagena’s family from?
Cartagena’s family has strong roots in El Carmen, Chincha, Peru, a region with a rich football and Afro-Peruvian sporting tradition.
Miguel Manjate is a football journalist and editor covering the Premier League, European competitions, and transfer news, with a strong focus on match analysis and data-driven reporting.
