33·Legends

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Colombia

The thirty-three greatest. Build your eleven, then settle the duels.

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The 33 of Colombia

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89 Carlos Valderrama 111 caps · 12 goals · Millonarios, Deportivo CaliIn the 93rd minute against West Germany in Milan, 1990, Valderrama traded two wall passes and threaded the ball to Freddy Rincón, whose finish through Bodo Illgner's legs put Colombia into the last 16. South American Footballer of the Year in 1987 and 1993, he captained Colombia at three World Cups across 111 caps, took the first MLS MVP award in 1996 and set a league record of 26 assists in 2000, at 38. CAM1987–2000

89 James Rodríguez 122 caps · 31 goals · FC Porto, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol · Golden Boot 2014Twenty-five yards out at the Maracanã on 28 June 2014, back to goal, James took Abel Aguilar's header on his chest, turned and volleyed left-footed in off the bar against Uruguay. It won the Puskás Award, and he finished that World Cup with the Golden Boot on six goals; two Champions League titles at Real Madrid, La Liga in 2017, back-to-back Bundesligas at Bayern and the 2024 Copa América Golden Ball followed. CAM2014–24

89 Radamel Falcao 104 caps · 36 goals · Club Atlético River Plate, AS MonacoChelsea arrived at the Stade Louis II as European champions in August 2012 and were three down by half-time, all three finished by Falcao, from the sixth minute, the 19th and just before the break. He won the Europa League twice, with Porto in 2011 on a record 17 goals in one campaign and Atlético Madrid in 2012, took league titles in Portugal and Argentina, and remains Colombia's record scorer on 36 goals. ST2011–12

4 FA 88 Faustino Asprilla 57 caps · 20 goals · Atlético Nacional, Parma Calcio 1913Newcastle beat Barcelona 3-2 at St James' Park on 17 September 1997, and all three goals were Asprilla's: a penalty he won himself, then two headers off Keith Gillespie crosses. Four years earlier he scored twice in Colombia's 5-0 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires; with Parma he won the 1995 UEFA Cup, the 1993 Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup, and he went to two World Cups for Colombia. LM1993–97

5 IC 88 Iván Córdoba 73 caps · Atlético Nacional, San Lorenzo de AlmagroEl Campín, 29 July 2001: Córdoba met Iván López's cross with his head in the 65th minute, and Colombia beat Mexico 1-0 to finish a Copa América they won without conceding a goal. That remains Colombia's only continental title, and he captained the side that won it; at Inter he spent twelve years, taking the 2010 Champions League and Club World Cup, five Serie A titles and four Coppa Italias. CB2001–10

88 Luis Díaz 70 caps · 21 goals · Barranquilla, FC PortoHe scored twice at the Parc des Princes on 4 November 2025 and was sent off before half-time for a lunge on Achraf Hakimi, the first player in Champions League history to manage both in one half. Bayern won that night and took the Bundesliga in his first season, following the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup he won at Liverpool, the Primeira Liga at Porto, and the 2021 Copa América Golden Boot he shared with Lionel Messi. LM2021–25

7 FR 87 Freddy Rincón 84 caps · 17 goals · América de Cali, SSC NapoliValderrama slid the pass, and in stoppage time against West Germany on 19 June 1990 Rincón rolled the ball between Bodo Illgner's legs for the 1-1 draw that took Colombia into the second round. He captained Corinthians to the first FIFA Club World Championship in 2000, won Brazilian league titles with Palmeiras in 1994 and Corinthians in 1998 and 1999, took two Colombian championships with América de Cali, and finished third at the Copa América in 1993 and 1995. CM1990–2000

87 Juan Cuadrado 116 caps · 11 goals · US Lecce, ACF FiorentinaIn Brazil in 2014 he ended the World Cup with four assists, tied with Toni Kroos at the top of the tournament chart despite playing fewer minutes than the German. Six Serie A titles followed, five at Juventus between 2016 and 2020 and one at Inter in 2024, plus four Coppa Italia wins, a Premier League title with Chelsea in 2015, and 116 caps for Colombia. RM2014–24

87 Mario Yepes 102 caps · Cortuluá, Deportivo CaliFortaleza, 4 July 2014: at 38 the oldest outfield player in Brazil, he forced a loose ball past Júlio César and saw it chalked off for offside, a call Colombians still argue about as era gol de Yepes. He won the 2001 Copa América at home, Colombia's only continental title, the 2011 Serie A title with Milan, two Argentine championships with River Plate and the Coupe de France with Paris Saint-Germain, and stands second to Valderrama on 102 caps. CB2001–14

10 ÓC 87 Óscar Córdoba 73 caps · Millonarios, América de CaliAt the Morumbí in June 2000 he beat out penalties from Faustino Asprilla and Roque Júnior to take the Copa Libertadores back to Boca Juniors after twenty-three years, and was named the final's best player. The 2001 Copa América followed on home soil, where Colombia won every match without conceding a goal, alongside a second Libertadores in 2001, the Intercontinental Cup against Real Madrid in 2000 and three Argentine league titles. GK1989–2008

11 RH 87 René Higuita 68 caps · Atlético Nacional, Tiburones Rojos de VeracruzJamie Redknapp mishit a cross at Wembley on 6 September 1995 and Higuita dived forward to flick both heels over his head and clear it, the scorpion kick that outlived a goalless friendly nobody else remembers. He won Colombia's first Copa Libertadores in 1989 with Atlético Nacional, scoring his own penalty in the shootout that beat Olimpia, added the Copa Interamericana that year, took two Colombian league titles, and scored 41 career goals from penalties and free kicks. GK1989–95

12 AE 86 Andrés Escobar 51 caps · Atlético Nacional, BSC Young BoysColombia's number 2 scored once for his country, a header from Alexis García's corner that drew 1-1 with England at Wembley on 24 May 1988, and Medellín knew him as el caballero del fútbol. He played every match of Atlético Nacional's 1989 Copa Libertadores win, the first by a Colombian club, took the 1991 league title, and made 51 appearances for Colombia, playing at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, before he was killed in Medellín at 27. CB1988–94

13 AI 86 Arnoldo Iguarán 68 caps · 25 goals · Cúcuta Deportivo, Deportes TolimaRiohacha gave Colombia El Guajiro, and at the 1987 Copa América he finished as top scorer with four goals, two of them against Paraguay on 5 July. His 25 goals in 68 caps stood as the national record until Falcao overtook it in 2015; he won Colombian titles with Millonarios in 1987 and 1988, scored 120 league goals for the club, and played at the 1990 World Cup. ST1987–2015

86 David Ospina 130 caps · Atlético Nacional, OGC NiceMiguel Trauco struck his penalty at MetLife Stadium on 17 June 2016 and Ospina flung out a trailing leg to keep it out, sending Colombia into the Copa América semi-finals. He has 130 caps, second only to James Rodríguez, kept goal through Colombia's run to the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, took third place at the 2016 and 2021 Copa América, and won two FA Cups with Arsenal and the 2020 Coppa Italia with Napoli. GK2014–21

15 JB 86 Jorge Bermúdez 56 caps · Deportes Quindío, América de CaliBoca Juniors called him El Patrón, and in Tokyo on 28 November 2000 he was the first to raise the Intercontinental Cup after Martín Palermo's two goals had seen off Real Madrid. He lifted the Copa Libertadores in both 2000 and 2001, took three Argentine league championships with Boca and two Colombian titles with América de Cali, and wore Colombia's shirt at the 1998 World Cup among 56 caps. CB1990–2004

16 WO 86 Willington Ortiz 49 caps · 12 goals · Millonarios, Deportivo CaliMillonarios brought him up from Tumaco at nineteen and he scored the winner against Internacional de Porto Alegre, the start of seventeen years of beating full backs on either foot. IFFHS voted him Colombia's best player of the twentieth century; he won the league with Millonarios in 1972 and 1978, four in a row with América de Cali from 1983, reached three straight Copa Libertadores finals, finished second at the 1975 Copa América and never played a World Cup. RM1972–83

17 CZ 85 Cristián Zapata 58 caps · Udinese Calcio, San Lorenzo de AlmagroIn the seventh minute of stoppage time in the Milan derby on 15 April 2017, Zapata met a flick at the far post and volleyed it in off the crossbar for 2-2, the last kick of the game. He won the 2016 Supercoppa Italiana with Milan and the 2023 Superliga with Atlético Nacional, made 58 appearances for Colombia, reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2014 and finished third at the 2016 Copa América Centenario. CB2014–23

85 Faryd Mondragón 51 caps · Club Atlético Independiente, Galatasaray S.K.He came on against Japan in the 85th minute on 24 June 2014, aged 43 years and 3 days, taking the record for the oldest man in a World Cup match from Roger Milla. Fifty-one Colombia caps spanned the 1998 and 2014 World Cups; with Independiente he won the Recopa Sudamericana and Supercopa Libertadores in 1995, with Galatasaray two Turkish titles and a cup, and with Deportivo Cali the Superliga Colombiana in his last season. GK1995–2014

19 AV 84 Adolfo Valencia 37 caps · 14 goals · Independiente Santa Fe, New York Red BullsOn 5 September 1993 at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, Valencia scored the fifth goal in Colombia's 5-0 win over Argentina, then flew back to Munich the next day because Bayern had a game. The first Colombian to play in German football, he scored 11 goals for Bayern as they won the 1993-94 Bundesliga, struck against Romania and the United States at the 1994 World Cup, and won the Colombian championship with América de Cali in 1997. SS1993–97

84 Amaranto Perea 76 caps · Deportivo Independiente Medellín, Atlético MadridA Europa League night against Rennes on 29 September 2011 took Perea to 289 competitive appearances for Atlético Madrid, more than any foreign player had made for the club. He won the Europa League in 2010 and 2012, the UEFA Super Cup in 2010, the Intercontinental Cup and an Argentine title with Boca Juniors, the CONCACAF Champions League with Cruz Azul, and played 72 times for Colombia. CB2010–12

84 Camilo Zúñiga 61 caps · Atlético Nacional, SienaIn the 88th minute of the quarter-final in Fortaleza on 4 July 2014, his knee landed in Neymar's back as both went for the ball and fractured a vertebra, and the apology he gave that night has followed him since. Two Coppa Italia titles with Napoli in 2012 and 2014 stand above three Colombian championships with Atlético Nacional, and his 61 caps include the run to that quarter-final, Colombia's best World Cup finish. RB2012–14

84 Jackson Martínez 40 caps · 9 goals · Deportivo Independiente Medellín, ChiapasThree seasons at Porto, three Portuguese golden boots: 26 goals, then 20, then 21, the first man since Mário Jardel to top the Primeira Liga scoring charts in consecutive years. He won the Primeira Liga with Porto in 2013, was Colombia's top scorer in the 2009 Finalización with 18 for Independiente Medellín, scored twice against Japan at the 2014 World Cup, and left for Atlético Madrid in 2015 for 35 million euros. ST2009–15

84 Juan Fernando Quintero 45 caps · 6 goals · Envigado Fútbol Club, FC PortoRiver Plate needed one moment at the Bernabéu on 9 December 2018, and Quintero produced it in extra time, a strike from outside the box that decided the Libertadores final against Boca. That 2018 title heads a list that runs to the Recopa Sudamericana and Copa Argentina with River, the 2024 Copa Sudamericana with Racing, a Portuguese Super Cup at Porto, and a Copa América runners-up medal in 2024. CAM2018–24

24 LÁ 84 Leonel Álvarez Behind Carlos Valderrama at the Monumental on 5 September 1993, he did the covering and the tackling in the 5-0 that took Colombia to the 1994 World Cup. He won the 1989 Copa Libertadores with Atlético Nacional, the first for a Colombian club, took two league titles with América de Cali in 1990 and 1992, played the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, and finished on 101 caps, third most in Colombia's history. CDM1989–94

25 MS 84 Mauricio Serna 51 caps · Deportivo Pereira, Atlético NacionalPalermo had Boca two goals up on Real Madrid inside six minutes in Tokyo in November 2000, and the holding midfielder in front of the back four was Serna, 1.66m tall, against Figo, Guti and Makélélé. He won the Copa Libertadores with Boca in 2001 and that Intercontinental Cup, three Argentine championships between 1998 and 2000, the Colombian title with Atlético Nacional in 1994, and played at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups in 51 caps. CDM1994–2001

84 Teófilo Gutiérrez 52 caps · 15 goals · Barranquilla, Club Atlético River Plate · South American Footballer of the Year 2014Belo Horizonte, 14 June 2014: a corner came in, Teo got there first and made it 2-0 against Greece on 58 minutes, in Colombia's first World Cup match for sixteen years. He was named South American Footballer of the Year for 2014, won the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana with River Plate, an Argentine league title, a Turkish Cup with Trabzonspor, and scored 15 goals in 51 games for Colombia. SS2010s

27 VA 84 Víctor Aristizábal 66 caps · 15 goals · Atlético Nacional, Deportivo CaliAcross five games running at the 2001 Copa América he scored against Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru twice and Honduras, six goals on home soil while Colombia went through the whole tournament without conceding one. That title was Colombia's first at senior level and he was its top scorer; a Brazilian championship and Copa do Brasil with Cruzeiro in 2003 followed, along with six Colombian league titles and the scoring record at Atlético Nacional. ST2001–03

84 Wilmar Barrios Deportes TolimaBoca lost the 2018 Copa Libertadores final at the Bernabéu with ten men, Barrios having taken a second yellow in the 92nd minute, and River scored twice in extra time to win it 3-1. Colombia finished third at the 2021 Copa América with him at the base of midfield, and he has collected seven Russian league titles at Zenit since February 2019, two Argentine championships with Boca and a 2018 World Cup place in Russia. CDM2018–21

83 Abel Aguilar 71 caps · 7 goals · Deportivo Cali, Xerez C.D.Nineteen years old at the 2004 Copa América, Aguilar scored against Peru on 12 July and again in the 2-0 quarter-final win over Costa Rica five days later. He played at two World Cups, won the South American Under-20 Championship in 2005, and closed a Colombia career of 71 caps and seven goals that included a fiftieth appearance as a starter in the 3-0 win over Greece. CM2004–05

30 AM 83 Alexis Mendoza 67 caps · Cúcuta Deportivo, América de CaliJunior counted 416 matches from him across three spells in Barranquilla, and the armband was his there from 1985, when he was 23. Four Colombian championships came in six seasons, two with América de Cali in 1990 and 1992 and two back at Junior in 1993 and 1995; he played 67 times for Colombia between 1987 and 1997, at four Copa Américas and the 1994 World Cup. CB1985–97

83 Giovanni Hernández 46 caps · 5 goals · Deportivo Independiente Medellín, Deportivo CaliAt the 2003 Confederations Cup in France he scored three goals in five matches, and Barranquilla later paid a club record for him and settled on the nickname El Príncipe. He was in the Colombia squad that won the 2001 Copa América at home without conceding a goal, won two Chilean titles with Colo-Colo in 2007 and two with Junior in 2010 and 2011, made the 2003 Gold Cup Best XI, and captained Junior for four years. CM2001–11

83 Luis Fernando Herrera 61 caps · Deportivo Independiente Medellín, América de CaliBetween 1987 and 1996 Chonto Herrera played 286 games for Atlético Nacional and scored twice, a decade at right back in the same shirt. He won the 1989 Copa Libertadores with Nacional, the first won by a Colombian club, added the 1990 Copa Interamericana and league titles in 1991 and 1994, and played at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups among 61 caps for Colombia. RB1987–96

33 PA 82 Pablo Armero América de Cali, Sociedade Esportiva PalmeirasFive minutes into Colombia's first World Cup match in sixteen years, on 14 June 2014, he arrived late from left-back and scuffed a shot that deflected off Kostas Manolas and past Orestis Karnezis. Colombia reached the quarter-finals from there, their best World Cup, and across 68 caps he added a Colombian title with América de Cali in 2008, the Copa do Nordeste with Bahia in 2017, and a Serie A team of the year place at Udinese in 2010-11. LB2008–17

About this XI

Carlos Valderrama tops Colombia's all-time pool, ahead of James Rodríguez and Radamel Falcao. The 33 covers 4 goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 13 midfielders and 6 forwards. Carlos Valderrama leads the pool at 89 overall. Pick a formation, drag your eleven onto the pitch, then settle the duels below. Your votes reorder the people's ranking of these 33 in real time.

Left out, and why

A 33 is a set of decisions, and these are the players who lost their place in the last revision of Colombia's list. Every one of them has a case.

Harold LozanoRated 83 in the almanac. The place went to Jorge Bermúdez.
Frank FabraRated 80 in the almanac. The place went to Óscar Córdoba.

Disagree? That is the point. Settle it in the duels above.

Who is the greatest Colombia footballer of all time?

In the 33 Legends editorial ranking, Carlos Valderrama leads Colombia with an overall rating of 89. The editorial top five: Carlos Valderrama, James Rodríguez, Radamel Falcao, Faustino Asprilla, Iván Córdoba. The people's ranking on this page moves with every duel vote and can disagree.

How were these 33 Colombia players chosen?

The pool covers every position across Colombia's football history. Ratings weigh peak level, longevity, honours and historical standing, then the full methodology page explains the tiers. Fan votes in the duels build a second, independent ranking.

Which Colombia players reach the Immortal tier or higher?

None yet. Carlos Valderrama leads the Colombia pool at 89, in the Legend tier.

Can I build and share my own Colombia all-time XI?

Yes. Pick one of eight formations, drag any of the 33 onto the pitch, and export your lineup as a PNG. There is no account and no sign-up.