National vs. Millionaires, the duel of the most champions: two ways to win

They are the two most winning teams in Colombian soccer and that is always attractive. National and Millionaires They meet again this Sunday, this time at the Atanasio Girardot stadium, on the sixth date of the League (6:10 pm, with Win Sports + TV).

The blues were the champions the most times for many years and in 1988 they entered a cone of shadow that took 24 years to overcome. In that period, the greens passed them by. In Bogotá, they opted for a long-term process, with Alberto Gamero at the helm since December 2019.

In Medellín, in that period, seven coaches have passed, not counting interim ones: Juan Carlos Osorio, Alexandre Guimarães, Alejandro Restrepo, Hernán Darío Herrera, Paulo Autuori, William Amaral and, now, Jhon Bodmer.

However, Nacional has won one more title than Millos since 2020, although the latter achieved it in the last year and a half. Today they are tied on points in the table. Everyone has their own way of winning.

“Millonarios already has an idea of ​​how to play, they have been with the same coach for years, Nacional is a team under construction, which is still thinking about reaching that high point,” he explains. Luis Fernando Suarezchampion with Nacional in 1981 as a player and in 1999 as coach, and who was Millos' technical assistant in 1998.

“Alberto (Gamero) is more experienced, has more experience, more experience. In addition, he manages the human group well, something that Jhon is learning. Jhon is a student of new work methodologies, he teaches them well, he explains them well, he is a bookworm, he is looking for every new thing,” added Suárez, who had Bodmer as an assistant in Costa Rica.

Nacional maintained a style for many years that has recently changed. Millionaires is finding it, after several years of work. “I think that a gaming identity is being created, which Professor Gamero brings from Tolima. Although in 2024 Millonarios does not have the same style of play that it had when the teacher arrived, it does seek to maintain that, having the ball for as long as possible and playing an offensive game,” he said. Rafael Robayo, the player with the most appearances in Millos in short tournaments, but he was also a Nacional player.

“Football is changing, it cannot be played in the same way as 30 years ago, when we were there: it is much faster, more physical, but there must be a style and Nacional has lost that a little bit. They work in the minor divisions to try to have the same way of playing, but that is not reflected in the professional team, which does happen in Millonarios with Gamero,” Suárez said.

JOSÉ ORLANDO ASCENCIO
SPORTS Deputy Editor
@Josasc

More sports news