Colombia Greatest All-time 23 member team

Colombia World Cup 2014

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

South America without Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia,
Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador
Bolivia, Venezuela.

Before the 1990's, football in Colombia was probably known for their domestic league in the 1950's.  They lured Alfredo di Stéfano, Neil Franklin and Charlie Mitten to play for Colombian clubs. Then, a Golden Generation arrived in the late 1990's and achieved their first success when they finished 3rd at the Copa America in 1987, ironically a year after the 1986 World Cup in which Colombia was going to host.  Then, in 1990, they reached the 2nd round of the WC Finals, but they were eliminated by a Roger Milla goal that was caused by an error from Rene Higuita.  Expectations of the team were high four years later in the US after going undefeated at the Qualifiers and beating Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires.  The team, however, was eliminated in the first round. Andrés Escobar was killed shortly after returning home from the Finals.  After a 16 year absence from the World Cup Finals, Colombia returned to the 2014 Finals in style.  They were the most exciting team in Brazil and reached the quarterfinal. James Rodríguez won the Golden Boot.

If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.

Copa America 2001 winner

Team

Oscar Cordoba
Oscar Cordoba played for Boca Juniors from 1997 to 2001, perhaps the greatest club side in a generation.  With them, he won the Copa Libertadores 2000 and 2001, and the Intercontinental Cup of 2000.  With 73 caps, he is Colombia's cap record holder for a goalkeeper.  He was the starting keeper that won the 2001 Copa America, Colombia's first ever title.  He named the goalkeeper of the tournament. He was a member of two World Cup team(1994 and 1998).

Oscar Cordoba

GK:  René Higuita
Nicknamed El Loco for his style of football.  He was best remembered for playing outside the penalty box as a sweeper for his team and his scorpion kick vs England in 1995.  He played in the 1990 WC Finals, but missed out the 1994 WC Finals because of a legal issue. He played the majority of his club career with Atlético Nacional where he helped the team to win the Copa Libertadores and Copa Interamericana, both in 1989.

GK: Faryd Mondragón
Faryd Mondragón had 21 years career with the national team.  He became the oldest ever player to play in a WC Finals when he played in Brazil 2014.  He was capped 51 times.  He was named in the Colombian squads for the 1992 Olympics, two Copa América tournaments, two CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the World Cups of 1994, 1998 and 2014.  He played for many clubs in both South America and Europe.  His longest stint was with Galatasaray in Turkey.

RB/CB:  Ivan Cordoba
Ivan Cordoba is one of Colombia's greatest defenders.  He earned over 70 caps for Colombia. He captained Colombia to win the 2001 Copa América competition, scoring the only goal in the final. Córdoba also played for his country in France 1998. He was one of the best defenders in Serie A during his time in Italy.  He spent 12 seasons with Inter Milan between 2000 and 2012, winning the Champions' League in 2010. He also played in Argentina and his native Colombia.

Ivan Cordoba

RW/RB: Juan Guillermo Cuadrado
At the time of writing, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado is considered one of the best right flank players playing in Italy.  He made his name with Fiorentina in Italy.  Since 2010, he had played for Colombia.  He also had an impressive tournament at the 2014 WC Finals in Brazil. He also played for Chelsea, but found more successes when he returned to Italy, playing for Juventus.
  
CB: Andrés Escobar
Andrés Escobar is best remembered for the ill-fated World Cup Finals in 1994, where he was killed shortly after returning home from the Finals.  Nicknamed The Gentleman, he was well-known for his clean style of play and calmness on the pitch. He was capped 51 times for Colombia from 1988 and 1994.  He went to Italia 1990. He spent most of his career with Atletico Nacional. He spent a single season playing for BSC Young Boys in Switzerland.

Andrés Escobar

CB: Francisco Zuluaga
Francisco Zuluaga is widely considered to be one of the greatest Colombian defenders.  At age 15, Zuluaga began playing as a central defender for Medellín side 7 de Agosto. Next, he joined Unión Indulana where he would be recruited by Millonarios. He joined Millonarios in 1948, where he played with Alfred Di Stefano and won 5 Colombian titles.  He played at the 1962 World Cup Finals in Chile.

CB: Jorge Bermudez 
Jorge Bermudez was a participant at the 1992 Summer Olympics and went on to play 56 times for the full international squad including appearances at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and in three editions of the Copa América. He was best remembered for playing with Boca Juniors between 1997 and 2001.  He won a Copa Libertadores in 2000 and 2001, and an Intercontinental Cup.  He was one of their greatest defenders.

CB: Mario Yepes 
Mario Yepes played 102 matches for the Colombia.  He was a member the team that won the Copa America in 2001. He captained Colombia at the World Cup Finals in 2014, where they reached the quarterfinal.  It was Colombia's best ever result in the World Cup. As for his club career, he played in Colombia, Argentina, France and Italy.  He began his career with Cortulua and Deportivo Cali.  He was known as one of the best defenders playing in France when he played with Paris St.Germain. 

Mario Yepes 

RB/LB: Juan Camilo Zuniga
Juan Camilo Zuniga made his national team debut in 2005. He had over 60 caps between 2005 and 2015. He played at the World Cup Finals in 2014, but best-remembered for injuring Brazil's Neymar in the quarter-final.  For club football, he was known for his career with Napoli where he played between 2009 and 2018. He played for Atlético Naciona at home and Siena before that.

LB: Pablo Armero

Between 2004 and 2008, Amero played for America de Cali.  He then, played with Palmeiras before heading to Italy in 2010.  While with Udinese, he was named the Serie A team of the Year in the 2011-2012 season.  He also played for Napoli, AC Milan and West Ham. Between 2008 and 2017, he was capped 68 times.  He scored Colombia's first goal at the 2014 World Cup Finals.  He also attended two other Copa America.

DM:  Leonel Álvarez
Leonel Álvarez played 101 times for  Colombia  between 1985 and 1995, making him the 3rd most capped player for Colombia. He played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup Finals.  He was known for his partnership with Carlos Valderrama. In 1989, he was part of the Atlético Nacional team that won the Copa Libertadores.  He also played in Spain, Mexico and the USA.

DM: Mauricio Serna

"Chicho: Serna played for a number of clubs, including Deportivo Pereira, Atlético Nacional, Boca Juniors (Argentina), Puebla F.C. (Mexico), Chacarita Juniors (Argentina) and Talleres Córdoba (Argentina).  With Bioca Juniors, he won two Copa Libertadores in 2000 and 2001, and was voted into their All-Time team by their fans. He played for Colombia between 1993 and 2001, and was a participant at the 1994 World Cup and at the 1998 World Cup.

AM:  Carlos Valderrama
Nicknamed El Pibe, Carlos Valderrama was Colombia's greatest ever player.  He was one of the best passers ever from South America.  He was twice South America Player of the Year in 1987 and in 1993. Between 1985 and 1998 he represented Colombia in 111 full internationals and scored 11 times, making him the most capped player in the country's history. He was a star player at the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy.   He also played in 1994, and 1998 World Cups, and 5 Copa América tournaments.

Carlos Valderrama

AM: Jairo Arboleda

Jairo Arboleda is considered, along with Carlos Valderrama , as the best Colombian creative midfielder in all of history.  He was a legend with Deportivo Cali.  He also played for Deportivo Pereira, Portuguesa, Cristal Caldas and Deportes Quindío.He only played 7 times for Colombia, debuting in 1974.  He helped them to reach the Final of the 1975 Copa America.

AM/RW:  Willington Ortiz
Willington Ortiz is considered to be the best players in Colombian history before the emerge of Carlos Valderama.  He was capped 49 times for Colombia. At the domestic club level, he played with Millonarios, Deportivo Cali and America Cali, all in Colombia.  With America Cali, he won 4 straight league titles.  They also lost 3 straight Copa Libertadores between 1985 and 1987. He represented the Colombia 49 times between 1973 and 1985. He helped Colombia to reach the 1983 Copa America final.

Willington Ortiz

CM/RM/FW: Freddy Rincon
Freddy Rincon was one of the most important player during the Golden Generation of the 1990's.  He had 84 caps. He played in 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cup Finals.  He scored the equalizing goal vs West Germany at Italia 1990, securing Colombia a place in the 2nd round.  He was best remembered for his career in Brazil, where he played for Palmeiras, Corinthians, Santos and Cruzeiro. 

AM: James Rodríguez
James Rodríguez played in the 2014 and 2018 World Cup Finals, where he won the Golden Boot as top goalscorer and was part of the All-tournament team in 2014.  The 2014 edition was Colombia's best ever World Cup Finals. His European career started with Porto and then, Monaco.  After the World Cup Finals, Real Madrid brought him to Spain.  He is widely believed to be the 3rd most expensive signing in Real Madrid history. In 2017, he joined Bayern Munich.

James Rodríguez

ST: Delio Gamboa

In his career, Delio Gamboa played for Atlético Nacional Millonarios, Independiente Santa Fe, Once Caldas, and Deportes Tolima.  He first made his name with CD Orc, a club in Mexico. He went on to play for Millonarios from 1961–1965. He won the Colombian Domestic League (now the Copa Mustang) title four straight seasons ('61,'62, '63,and'64). He only appeared for one match at the World Cup in 1962 because of an injury.

FW: Faustino Asprilla
Faustino Asprilla was known for his wild lifestyle outside the game.  He played 57 times for Colombia between 1993 and 2001.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1994 and 1998. He was known as one of the best attackers in Italy when he played for Parma between 1992 and 1996.  He won a Cup Winners' Cup in 1992. He scored 4 goals in 8 matches during that run. He also played for Newcastle before moving to play in Brazil and Argentina.

Faustino Asprilla

ST:  Arnoldo Iguaran

Arnoldo Iguaran was at one point the all-time leading goalscorer for the Colombia with 24 or 25 goals(a goal is in dispute) until 2015 when Radamel Falcao broke it.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1990. He won the Golden Boot at the Copa America in 1987. He spent 12 years at Millonarios, and won the Colombian league in 1987 and 1988 with the club.

ST: Hugo Aristizábal

Aristizábal played for Atlético Nacional from 1990 to 1996. He also played in Brazil for São Paulo and Santos before spending two seasons at Nacional and Deportivo Cali. He is the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Brazilian league. He is also the all-time Colombian goalscorer with 348 goals, of which about 200 goals were scored with Atlético Nacional. He finished as top scorer (6 goals) in the 2001 Copa América, as Los Cafeteros won the title for the first time. 

ST:  Radamel Falcao
At the time of writing, Radamel Falcao is playing for AS Monaco. He also played for Porto and Atletico Madrid, where he won the Europa Cup for each of them.  He played in the World Cup Finals in 2018, but he missed the 2014 Finals through an injury. He is Colombia's all-time leading scorer. At the club level, he also played in England for Manchester United and Chelsea, in Argentina with River Plate, and in France with AS Monaco.

Radamel Falcao

Honorable Mention
Pedro Antonio Zape, Efrain Sanchez, David Ospina, Gabriel Ochoa. Miguel Calero, Rufay Zapata, Luis Amaranto Perea, Luis Carlos Perea, Davinson Sánchez, Wilson Pérez, Jaime González, Óscar López, Yerry Mina, Miguel Escobar, Alexis Mendoza, Luis Herrera, Arturo Segovia, Cristián Zapata, Carlos Sanchez, Wílmer Cabrera, Diego Osorio, Bernardo Redín, Juan Fernando Quintero, Alfonso Cañon, Rafael Serna, Ernesto Diaz, Harold Lozano, Marcos Coll, Alejandro Brand, Victor Aristizabal, Juan Pablo Angel, Adolfo Valencia, Carlos Bacca, Carlos Estrada, Anthony Da Avila, Luis Díaz.

Squad Explanation
-- The original team was created in 2015.  This edition was updated on September, 2023.

-- Carlos Valderrama and Willington Oritz were automatic selections.  I considered Carlos Valderrama as one of the greatest South American players of his generation.  Oritz was probably Colombia's second greatest players. Freddy Rincon, Mario Yepes and Ivan Cordoba probably deserved to be that too.   
-- This is probably my youngest squad in the All-Time World Cup.  Most of the players played in the 1980's or after. Only five players played before the 1980's.  A lot of active players were actually selected.

-- In 1975, Colombia reached the Final of the b1975 Copa America before losing to Peru.  It was their first time reaching the Final. Willington Ortiz and Jairo Arboleda also made this team. 
-- The 1990's generation put Colombia on the map. Andres Escobar, René Higuita, Carlos Valderama, Freddy Rincon, Mauricio Serna, Arnoldo Iguaran and Leonel Alvarez played in the 1990 World Cup Finals.  Faustino Asprilla and Faryd Mondragón emerged after the World Cup Finals.  They were added to the pool for the USA 1994.  After they beat Argentina 5-0, they became as favourites to win the tournament. Unfortunately, the World Cup Finals was a disaster.

1990 World Cup

-- In 2001, Colombia won the Copa America as host.  From that  winning team, I selected Mario Yepes, Oscar Cordoba and Ivan Cordoba.  Ivan Cordoba had a long successful career with Inter Milan.  Mario Yepes was another legend in Colombia.   Mauricio Serna and Jorge Bermúdez were at their prime, but did not attend the tournament.

-- The World Cup team of 2014 was Colombia's most successful team.  James Rodriguez, Mario Yepes, Juan Camilo Zuniga, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado and Faryd Mondragón were members of the 2014 World Cup team that reached the quarterfinal.

-- "El Dorado" is the era in the Colombia football league from 1949 to 1954, when the league broke away from FIFA. Therefore, all Colombian teams were suspended from playing international football. The Colombian national team was also under sanction. 

-- IFFHS selected the following players as their All-Time Best XI for Colombia.  They were René Higuita, Iván Córdoba, Mario Yepes, Francisco Zuluaga, Freddy Rincón, Leonel Álvarez, Carlos Valderrama, James Rodríguez, Faustino Asprilla, Radamel Falcao and Willington Ortiz.

-- GOLTV also had their own selection of All-Time Best XI.  They were René Higuita, Andrés Escobar, Iván Córdoba, Mario Yepes, Pablo Armero, Freddy Rincón, Leonel Álvarez, Carlos Valderrama, James Rodríguez, Faustino Asprilla and Radamel Falcao.  Only two players differed from IFFHS's Best XI.

-- Fox Sports also came with their own Best XI in 2014.  Their lineup: Efrain Sanchez, Luis Fernando Herrera, Francisco Zuluaga, Iván Córdoba, Diego Osorio, Freddy Rincón, Leonel Álvarez, Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla, Radamel Falcao and Willington Ortiz.

-- RCN Radio conducted a poll of the 20 greatest Colombian footballers.  The results: 1) Carlos Valderrama, 2) William Ortiz 3) Faustino Asprilla 4) Rene Higuita 5) Victor Aristizabal 6) Freddy Rincon 7) Andre Escobar 8) Ivan Cordoba 9) Oscar Cordoba 10) Anthony Da Avila 11) Juan Pablo Angel 12) Arnoldo Iguaran 13) Rafael Serna 14) Jairo Arboleda 15) Adolfo 'The Train' Valencia 16) Mauricio 'Chico' Serna 17) Alexander Brand 18) Marcos Coll 19) Ernesto Diaz and 20) Juan Carlos Henao.  The poll must have been conducted in 2009.

-- I found this good source for Colombia football.

Goalkeepers

-- René Higuita was known for his sweeper style of goalkeeping. The world got to know about him at the 1990 World Cup Finals. His style sealed his place in the history of the football in Colombia.  He was listed the 8th greatest goalkeeper of the 20th Century by IFFHS.  

René Higuita 

-- However, I do believe that Oscar Cordoba or Faryd Mondragón might be better goalkeepers. They had wonderful careers. When  Cordoba was playing for Boca Juniors, he became the hero of the 2000 Copa Libertadores Final, where he saved two penalties in the shootout.  He had 5 clean sheet at the 2001 Copa America as Colombia won their first title.  He later played with Beşiktaş while Mondragon was with Galatasaray.  The two of them played against each other in the Istanbul derby between the two clubs.  They were rated almost equally during their prime.  Mondragon spent over a decade playing in Europe.

-- Pedro Antonio Zape is considered to be one of the most important players in the history of Deportivo Cali.  At least, one journalist considered him the greatest Colombian goalkeeper of all-time.  Efrain Sanchez was one of the first Colombian players to play aboard.  He also helped Colombia to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Chile. Fox sports listed him as their starting goalkeeper for their All-Time Best XI. Both might take a spot from Mondragon.

-- Otoniel Quintana held the Colombian record for not conceding a goal.  David Ospina did well enough in Nice that he earned a move to Arsenal, where he was mainly a backup.  Gabriel Ochoa's prime was played during "El Dorado" where he played alongside Alfredo Di Stefano.  I also looked into Miguel Calero and Rufay Zapata.  They were all famous goalkeepers from Colombia.

Defenders

-- Andres Escobar was highly rated in his time.  He helped Atletico Nacional to win the 1989 Copa Libertadores. He would have made this team without his premature death.  However, his death probably created some sympathy to his selection. It happened to public figures who died young all the time.  Mario Yepes earned a great reputation while playing club football in Europe.  He finally made his first appearance in the World Cup finals stage at age 38 in 2014.  He proved himself to be a effective defender at that given age. Franisco Zuluaga was one of the few Colombians who was a starter for Millonarios during the El Dorado era. He spent almost 15 years with the club and winning six championships.  The three central defenders were probably undisputed.  I put Ivan Cordoba as a rightback and went for a 4th central defender.

-- Davinson Sánchez emerged since I created the team in 2015.  He helped Ajax to finish second in the Europa Cup, but his stint with Tottenham Hotspurs was uneventful.  Yerry Mina failed to make the grade in Barcelona.  They needed to do much more in order to be seriously considered. Miguel Escobar was a legend with Deportivo Cali playing in the 1970's.   He played with Henry Caicedo who was highly rated. The old-timers probably would have taken him.  I also looked into Luis Carlos Perea, but it was his namesake Luis Amaranto Perea whom I seriously considered for a spot.  He was at one point the foreign player with most competitive appearances for Atlético Madrid with 289, and he played at a time when the club was starting to raise again.  Cristián Zapata was also good candidate. However, I chose Jorge Bermudez over both Luis Amaranto Perea and Cristian Zapata.

-- Boca Juniors enjoyed a very successful era playing goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba and Mauricio Serna alongside Jorge Bermudez.  Together, they formed the defensive spine of Boca Juniors that won two Copa Libertadores.  Bermudez was their captain. He earned the nickname “El Patron” (The Boss) over there, and was considered one of the best South American defender at the time. That side was among the greatest club side from South America.  It also happened in an era dominated by European football.

-- Iván Córdoba was very successful in Inter Milan.  He would also score the winning goal for Colombia as they won their first Copa America.  He was widely considered to Colombia's greatest defender. He was usually a central defender, but had played successfully as a rightback.  Juan Cuadrado was another famous Colombian defender who made a name in Europe.  He enjoyed 6 glorious seasons with Juventus.  Some people considered Luis Herrera and Arturo Segovia to be the greatest ever, but I went with two players with wonderful careers in Europe.  Jaime González and Wílmer Cabrera also made honorable mention.

Juan Cuadrado 

-- Juan Camilo Zuniga could play on both sides, but usually a leftback.  He actually started on the right while Pablo Armero played on the left during the 2014 World Cup Finals.  In 2015, I also selected Diego Osorio.  He was highly rated too.  Many people even ranked him as the number one leftback.  However, injuries limited his career.  He retired at the age of 29. So in 2023, I replaced him with Pablo Armero. Pablo Armero was named in the GOLTV All-Best XI as their starting leftback.  He was also named on the Serie A Team of the Year 2010-2011.  The absence of Osorio was controversial.  Hector Echeverri and Luis Fernando " El Chonto" Herrera also made honorable mention.

-- Because of injuries, Diego Osorio was limited to 17 caps.  He played for Colombia between 1991 and 1995.  He played mainly for Atlético Naciona.  He was known for his dribbling skills.  He was a participant at the Copa America in 1991 and 1993, where Colombia reached the semifinal. He did not play in USA 1994.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Leonel Álvarez appeared in over a 100 games with the Cafeteros, making him the third most capped player for Colombia. He solidified Colombia's midfield that enabled Carlos Valderrama to flourish throughout the 1990's.  Then, I had to decide between Carlos Sanchez and Mauricio Serna.  Carlos Sanchez provided the substance to the next Colombia's Golden Generation.  He helped Colombia to reach the quarter-final in the 2014 World Cup.  He is the fifth most capped player in Colombia footballing history. Mauricio 'Chicho' Serna alongside Óscar Córdoba and Jorge Bermúdez formed the successful defensive backbone of Boca Juniors' Copa Libertadores winning team in 2000 and 2001.  All three was voted by Boca fans as their All-Time Best XI in 2000.  He made South American Team of the Year 3 times. He reached a height in club football unprecedented by Sanchez or other Colombian defensive midfielders.

-- Both Harold Lozano and Mario Agudelo were central midfielders, but I put them honorable mentions. 

-- In 2023, I dropped Humberto Álvarez and Marcos Coll.  Marcos Coll scored the first and only Olympic goal in any men's FIFA World Cup, beating legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin in a 4–4 draw against the Soviets in 1962.  He earned the nickname  “El Olimpico”, and that goal made him immortalized in Colombia.  However, apart from that goal, the other candidates did more in their careers.  So I put him on honorable mention.

-- I selected three playmakers.  Carlos Valderrama was selected as Colombia's Player of the Century in 1999.  He was the obvious choice.  James Rodríguez won the Golden Boot at the World Cup Finals in 2014.  No Colombian achieved more than he did. He made my all-time team immediately even through he was a young player at the time of the creation of my team.  His career with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid (2nd spell) had not reach expectations, but it did not change anything about the 2014 World Cup Finals.  Many people considered  Jairo Arboleda ahead of James, but James shone in the biggest stage (World Cup Finals).  Arboleda was considered the second greatest playmaker ever from Colombia after Carlos Valderrama.  He was also Deportivo Cali's greatest ever player.

Jairo Arboleda

-- Alejandro Brand were ranked very high, but he was relatively unknown outside of Colombia.   Brand formed a great partnership with Willington Ortiz in Millonarios. He is their all-time leading scorer with 91 goals and considered a legend at the club.  Unfortunately, an injury early in his career affected his overall performance.  So he became a question mark. More than one lists ranked Jairo Arboleda ahead of him. Humberto Álvarez's international career was limited because the national team was banned between 1950 and 1956  because of "El Dorado". He played for them in the 1957 South American Championship. I also looked into Alfonso Cañon. But they only made honorable mention because Valderrama, James and Arboleda were strong candidates.  

-- Willington Oritz is one of the greatest Colombian player before the emerge of Carlos Valderrama. He was not rated as high as Valderama because he never played club football outside of South America and he never played in a World Cup Finals. He was mainly a wing forward on the right, but he could also play as an attack midfielder. Freddy Rincon was the first Colombian to sign for Real Madrid. He helped Corinthians in 1997 to win the FIFA Club World Cup.   He was probably one of the top 5 greatest ever Colombian.  He could be deploy as a right midfielder. Juan Guillermo Cuadrado was already chosen as a fullback.  His career was also defined by his wing play.  The left side would be weak although Pablo Armero and Juan Camilo Zuniga could provide the width. Luis Diaz needs to build on his career before he should be considered.

Forwards

-- Radamel Falcao is Colombia's All-Time leading scorer.  He was the star of the UEFA Cup winning team in 2012 with Atletico Madrid.  His injury in recent years have kept his career from taking off. Nevertheless, no other Colombian forward except Faustino Asprilla achieved so much in European club football.
-- At his peak, Faustino Asprilla was probably Colombia's greatest striker, but his peak was short.  He was remembered for his career with Parma.  In 1993, he was also ranked by FIFA as the sixth-best player in the world in the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

-- Adolfo Valencia might have played for Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, but his careers there were relatively quiet. Juan Pablo Ángel was famous because he played for Aston Villa, but he only scored 9 goals for Colombia.  Iván Valenciano also only had 13 goals. Carlos Bacca made a name with Sevilla after winning back-to-back Europa League.  He was voted in the 2014-2015 Team of the Tournament as well as the best Latin American Player in La Liga.  However, he was not mentioned as an all-timer in Colombia.

-- Instead, I went for Arnoldo Iguaran. He was at one point the all-time leading goalscorer for the Colombia.  He was less known outside South America because he played his club football inside Colombia and his prime was before the Golden Generation of the 1990's.  He went to the 1990 World Cup Finals, but relatively unnoticeable in Italy.

-- I also took Víctor Hugo Aristizábal.  He was the All-Time leading scorer in Atlético Nacional's history. He was the All-Time foreign leading scorer in Brazil's Serie A.  He was also the top scorer (6 goals) in the 2001 Copa América as Colombia won their first title.  Those records spoke for itself.

Hugo Aristizábal

Formation

The front and midfield were exactly liked the selections from IFFHS and Fox News.  

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