Top 10 Colombian Football Players

As the 10th best team in the world according to the official FIFA ranking, the Colombian flag has become one of the most recognisable in football’s modern era. With an exorbitant overflow of talent, there can be little doubt as to why many of its players find their way into the Elite of world football. Let's take a look at 10 of the best "cafetaleros" of all time. Disagree with our list? Have we missed someone? Let us know!

by Jorge Gomez

1. Carlos Valderrama

‘El pibe’ made his professional debut in 1981 with Union Magdalena before playing for Deportivo Cali, Montpellier, Valladolid, and Juniors. ‘El pibe’ and his striking hairstyle made him one of the most recognisable players of the late 80s and early 90s. Valderrama played 111 international games and his leadership on the pitch was fundamental in guiding Colombia to 3 consecutives world cups.

2. James Rodriguez

One of the best ‘lefties’ of his generation, after his performance in Brazil’s 2014 world cup, in which he won the tournament’s Golden Boot, James quickly found himself considered one of football’s most promising young talents and garnered the attention of some of the best teams in Europe such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munchen and Everton, where he currently plays.

3. Faustino Asprilla

A talented forward striker who captured the hearts and minds of Colombia in the late 80s and early 90s with his goals. Asprilla also shone during his time in Parma (ITA) where he picked up 5 titles; he was chosen as one of the best 5 Colombian players of all time by the Colombian press in 2005.

4. Radamel Falcao

Falcao has earned over 90 caps with Colombia and is the country’s all-time top scorer having scored 35 goals since making his international debut in 2007. ‘El Tigre’ was named as part of the FIFA PRO WORLD XI in 2012 and also he finished in fifth in the running for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or.

5. René Higuita

The most fearless goalkeeper to have worn the colombian jersey, ‘el loco’ was a pioneer in influencing goalkeepers in having more responsibility during the match. Rene is also one of the game’s top 10 goal-scoring goalkeepers of all time, with a whopping 41 goals to his name.

6. Mario Yepes

Started his career with the Colombian national team in 1999 and he served as the captain from 2008 to 2014. Yepez is one of two players (along with Faryd Mondragon) to have played during both of the golden eras of colombian football, the first of which began in the late 90s and finished with victory in the 2001 Copa America and the second, Colombia's present golden generation, which began in 2013.

7. Willington Ortiz

Named as the best colombian player of the 20th century by IFFHS, Ortiz played 49 games in the cafetalero jersey, scoring 12 goals and, along with his compatriot ‘el pibe’, is considered one of the colombian football’s most emblematic players.

8. Freddy Rincón

A physical and versatile midfielder whose talent saw him become the first Colombian to wear the Real madrid shirt. Rincon spent the second half of his career playing for a number of football clubs in Brazil and with Corinthians he managed to win the first FIFA Club World Cup in 2000. He won 84 caps with the national team and scored 17 goals.

9. Iván René Valenciano

With a total of 217 goals, Valenciano is the Colombian league’s second top goalscorer of all-time. ‘El bombardero’, as he is better known, represented his national side 29 times and scored a total of 13 goals between 1991 and 2000.

10. Juan Cuadrado

One of the best Colombian footballers in the modern era, Cuadrado is a prolific, versatile player who is capable of scoring goals himself as well as creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. After making the leap to Europe in 2009, Cuadrado has won countless trophies with Chelsea (ENG) and Juventus, where he currently plays.