Carlos el Pibe Valderrama during an interview with Caracol Radio in Houston.
Photo: Caracol Radio
The Colombian team is now ready to face Paraguay in its debut in the 2024 Copa América in the United States. In an interview with Caracol Radio, Carlos “Pibe” Valderrama, former historic player of the Tricolor, highlighted the positive moment of the team led by Néstor Lorenzo and stated that on this occasion, the national team is the most likely to lift the trophy.
“It’s not luck, you know it is like that. You win a lucky game, but there are 23 games and the team has played well. This is football, if you play well, you will win,” said Pibe. “You can see it, the joy can be seen in the team. If you are happy in life, you are fine and that team is happy.”
Pibe Valderrama: “We are favorites, the National Team earned that because they play well”
Valderrama also spoke about the favoritism that the Colombian team has in this Copa América. “Yes, it’s that when you play well they put you as a favorite, they don’t put you as a favorite because you play badly. The National Team earned that, they earned that favorite title, we didn’t invent that, in football you can’t invent it. “When you last 23 undefeated games, it’s because you have something.”
“Paraguay has always been difficult, this is a difficult championship, this is the Copa América, we have to win, playing well. I don’t like to win any way I can, I’m demanding because football is about playing well, the joy is, you’re going to play well and you’re going to win,” Valderrama responded about Colombia’s first rival in the continental event.
When does the Colombian national team debut in the Copa América 2024?
On Monday, June 24, Colombia and Paraguay will debut in the Copa América 2024. The game will take place in Houston, Texas, at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Cafeteros, led by Néstor Lorenzo, have only won one championship, that of the 2001 Copa América, but they have faith in their current team to achieve a ticket to the final.
The coffee growers have gone 23 games without losing, including 18 wins, eight of them in their last appearances. Since the Argentine took over the reins of the national team, they have gone 20 games undefeated.
Without losing since February 2022 (1-0 against Argentina), the coffee growers are excited about winning their second crown in the tournament after the one they won at home in 2001.
The last meeting between both teams was in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and Colombia won 1-0. In the history of Copa América matches, each team has five wins and one draw.
