Tag: Colombia
CARLOS HAILS FALCAO
Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama has said that he is extremely grateful to Athletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao for raising the profile of the Colombian football.
A number of scouts have started showing interest in Colombia in the last couple of seasons due to the success of players like Radamel Falcao. The striker moved to Spanish club Athletico Madrid in a £ 35 million deal from FC Porto in the summer, while he was also linked with a move to Premier league club at Chelsea as well. He has proven to be a major success in Spain after scoring a bagful of goals in the league, while he has also secured the Europa league for the club.
Speaking on the occasion of the striker winning the Europa league, Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama has praised the striker by saying that he will be the source of great motivation for all of the Colombian youngsters, who are aspiring to become a professional footballer. Athletico Madrid managed to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the final of the Europa league, which helped him secure the trophy for the second time in three seasons. This time around, however, the name Falcao has a centre of attention because he has proven to be such a massive hit.
“We are all delighted here for what Falcao has done for Atletico Madrid, and the Colombian people are very proud because he is a player with a great eye for goal, which is not common. He is also a man who never gives up and he takes every opportunity that is placed in front of him. Great players are now coming out of Colombia, like the ones we had before with Freddy Rincon, Leonel Alvarez, Faustino Asprilla, Rene Higuita, Oscar Serna, Oscar Cordoba, Jorge Bermudez. To sum up, a fantastic group of footballers,” said Valderrama.
COLOMBIA APPOINT PEKERMAN
The Colombian national football team has appointed former Argentina manager Nestor Pekerman, as they look forward to bringing the nation’s 16 year wait to reach the World Cup finals.
The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil and it is already one of the most eagerly awaited tournaments. The qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will begin within a few months and Colombia are already preparing to make a promising start in this qualification campaign. Columbia have disappointed a lot of fans and critics after failing to qualify for the World Cup finals in the last 16 years, despite having some of the best players in the world.
This has been one of the brightest moments for South American football after Paraguay and Uruguay has been achieving a lot on the international front in recent years. It seems that Columbia are also looking forward to reach the heights and standards set by Paraguay and Uruguay. The arrival of Nestor Pekerman certainly signals the same. Nestor Pekerman was the coach of Argentina during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when his experience provided Argentina with the opportunity to get into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The Argentina team exited 2006 FIFA World Cup in the quarterfinals stage. Nestor Pekerman also has the experience of coaching both Chile and Mexico apart from Argentina. Colombia will be hoping that this international experience accompanied with the South American flavour will provide them success.
“The Colombian Football Federation’s (FCF) executive committee, headed by its president Luis Bedoya, has reached an agreement in the last few hours for Argentine Jose Nestor Pekerman to become the new coach of the senior Colombia team,” a statement from the Colombian football Federation said. The last time Colombia reached the World Cup finals was in 1998.
