Football in Colombia

Football in Colombia
Colombia line-up against West Germany during the 1990 World Cup
CountryColombia
Governing bodyColombian Football Federation
National team(s)Colombia
First played1918
Registered players291,229
Clubs2,773
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Football is the most popular sport in Colombia (according to FIFA, there are 3,043,229 players total, 291,229 of which are registered and 2,752,000 are unregistered; with 2,773 clubs and 15,800 officials).[1] The Colombian national league ranks 9th in the IFFHS's ranking The Strongest National League in the World of 2014 (3rd in South America).[2]

The Colombia national team represents Colombia in international football competitions. The highest rank it has ever reached in the FIFA Men's World Rankings was third in 2013.[3] It is currently ranked 9th in the world.[4]

Among the individual notable players that have emerged from the country are René Higuita, creator of the "scorpion kick", Carlos Valderrama, Leonel Álvarez, Faustino Asprilla, Iván Córdoba, Mario Yepes, Radamel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado, James Rodríguez, and Luis Díaz. Colombian players have made an impact in the wider world game, notably in Europe in leagues like La Liga and in North America with Major League Soccer (MLS).[5][6][7][8]

Colombia had its strongest period during the 1990s, where they were among the giants in world football.[9] A match during this period in 1993 resulted in a 5–0 win over Argentina which caused a special "mutual respect" rivalry between both nations.[10] During this era, Colombia qualified for the 1990, 1994 and 1998 editions of the World Cup, only reaching the second round in 1990. At the 2001 Copa América, Óscar Córdoba became the first and only goalkeeper in history to keep a perfect clean sheet in a Copa América tournament.

Football became an important part of the identity of Colombia as it fought the negative image of Colombia from the mid-1980s up to the present day. While Colombia has had ups and downs with the sport, football is still widely loved and supported.

  1. ^ "Member Association - Colombia". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2007. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. ^ "The World's Strongest National League 2014". IFFHS. IFFHS. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  3. ^ "FIFA/Coco-Cola World Ranking". FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  4. ^ FIFA.com. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  5. ^ "Colombian flavour on the rise in MLS". FIFA.com: World Match Centre. FIFA. 2012-04-15. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  6. ^ "Colombians in MLS: Stability, status influence recent shift". MLS Soccer.com. MLS. 2012-03-08. Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  7. ^ Heneage, Kristan (2012-09-19). "Why are so many Colombians keen to play in MLS?". Sport: Football: MLS. The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  8. ^ Raimondo, Avery (2010-10-19). "Colombia Makes An Impact On Major League Soccer". Goal. Goal.com. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  9. ^ flavia (8 August 2013). "COLOMBIA: The Rise and Fall of Narco-Soccer". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  10. ^ [1] Archived January 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine