Last dance or rebirth in Selection? Challenge of several Colombians in the Cup

The continental tournament is, for many, the last great tournament in yellow.

Days before the debut of the Colombian National Team in the Copa América, anxiety is growing. There is confidence, there is a clear idea, there is talent, but so many things are at stake in such a short tournament that it is inevitable to feel some concern.

Normal for everyone who is not within the concentration, who speculates, who does not know or often does not understand how the details of a premiere like the one next Monday, June 24, in Houston, United States, against Paraguay are prepared.

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Inside, everyone coexists with certainties, with realities, with the details clear and almost always decided well in advance and with the desire, but not anxiety, to see the ball roll.

In those heads is the challenge, brought down by coach Néstor Lorenzo himself, to aim without hesitation for the title, for a coronation that the current generation of the national team undoubtedly deserves, which knows that the planner of time will have no more mercy and The time to leave with a stock in the stock market may well be now or never.

There are plenty of examples and they do not respect records or history. How can it be that at this point it seems so normal to us to have removed the team’s top scorer, Radamel Falcao García, a captain like Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, and a midfield general like Wilmar Barrios from the table? No one did it, not even themselves, who complied with being healthy and available at the time of the call. It was done by evolution, by change, by youth that always arrives like a hurricane, in football and in life.

But there were others who did manage to get on that last car, who fought tooth and nail against everyone who threatened them and managed to be among the 26. For them, the satisfaction of having fulfilled their duty but also the harsh reality of being, probably, before one of his last major competitions dressed in yellow. They will aim for the 2026 World Cup, without a doubt. But no one tells them that in four years, when the Copa América is played again, they will be available.

Here, nine men who, for better and for worse, will experience this tournament in the United States as if it were their last:

David Ospina

35 years

Al-Nassr was a gamble and it didn’t turn out the way they wanted, apart from some good moments. Injuries and other complications ended up opening a happy return to his country, to his Atlético Nacional, one more cartridge that hopefully turns out well. He gave the advantage and not only Vargas passed but also Montero and Mier, the latter ‘sacrificed’ to respect seniority.

Camilo Vargas

35 years

Once Ospina was gone, he was left with the title, being a great figure with Atlas, like two years ago, or not as much as this last season. In his position, the 39 are not so new for a new Cup, but everything will depend on whether, now that he is undisputed, the titles arrive.

Santiago Arias

32 years

A terrible injury, precisely in the Colombian National Team, took him out of his career at an exceptional moment and kept him fighting for more than a year, more than anything else. Now Lorenzo has recovered it, beyond his high rotation in clubs. He is known to be Muñoz’s substitute. But if luck finally supports him there will be an opportunity in the US.

Deiver Machado

30 years

The Lens player from France gave advantages with an injury well into the Lorenzo cycle and, although it seemed that he was already the owner of the left back, now it has been difficult for him to return. At 34 and staying in Europe, it would be good to get excited, but in such a demanding position there will be too much competition.

Johan Mojica

31 years

In Osasuna he finished a long journey through the Spanish league and now, officially, he is looking for a club. But yes, when Borja and Machado were injured, he was present and there was no way to remove him from the call: he earned it hard. He needs to stabilize and keep his level at the top to maintain the hope of playing in another Cup.

Mateus Uribe

33 years

Tied to a contract with Al-Sadd of Qatar, with injury problems and discussed in this last call until the last moment, he reappeared against the United States and shut his mouth. Everything started to go wrong since he left Porto, and now, with Ríos and Castaño lurking in that tremendous rhythm they bring, without a doubt this would be his ‘last dance’.

Juan Fernando Quintero

31 years

Talent does not fight with anything and, despite his setbacks, he has always known how to stay in the market. In the National Team he knows that he is James’ substitute and that his thing is to contribute, not carry the world on his shoulders. He started young and is excited to continue, but the number 10 is less and less in demand and there are more versatile midfielders, like Carrascal himself, putting pressure on him.

James Rodriguez

32 years

Today no one imagines life without the captain, the left-hander, his own. But it cannot be ignored that he has barely had minutes in Sao Paulo this year and that injuries do not allow him to be where he should be. Colombia cares for him and values ​​him and forgives him everything. But in the long term of four years for another Cup, a probable scenario after it would have to be considered.

Miguel Angel Borja

31 years

​The euphoria over his call to this Cup, even though it was not part of Lorenzo’s process, is due to the fact that everyone understands that if he did not return now perhaps he would never do so: such a scoring streak, in such a club (River Plate), to such a level, are not easy to sustain. And he knows it. Earning a position now will be vital.