Those of us who saw the Colombian National Team win the Copa America are now over 35 years old. More than one of us has gray hair or we have nothing left to comb. Many are parents and even grandparents, and they try to pass on that passion to their children or grandchildren.
According to the criteria of
How to make these young people fall in love with the yellow jersey, which in these 23 years has gone from blue to red and now orange decorations? One, through oral tradition: This is what my father did, telling me about the exploits of ‘Caimán’ Sánchez, ‘Cobo’ Zuluaga, Marco Coll, Marino Klinger, and, more recently, Willington Ortiz, ‘Boricua’ Zárate, Ponciano Castro, and Generalísimo Pedro Antonio Zape.
I was already a teenager when Pacho Maturana’s team appeared in 1987. And I was already making the transition from high school to university when it qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. While my dad listened to the game on the radio in the office and my mom scolded us for cursing Pierre Littbarski’s goal, my sisters and I shouted, minutes later, about Freddy Rincón’s goal against Germany.
Now, my children, who are now adults, have the opportunity to live their own story, that of finally seeing the Colombian National Team win the Americas in person. Also my nephews, who are building their own path. Or the friends who have accompanied me in life and in editorial projects, reviewing those archives.
The hope of winning the Copa América is more than latent
How can we not be excited about this team, in which Néstor Lorenzo gathered a core that many were already on the way to retirement, added great discoveries, such as Richard Ríos, Jhon Arias, Yaser Asprilla, Jhon Durán, and confirmed those who had begun to grow in the previous process, such as Luis Díaz, who is already beginning to learn to be the leader of the future, when the James, Ospinas, Cuadrados and Falcaos we talk so much about these days are gone.
We already said that one of the ways to become a fan is through oral tradition. The other is to win. Hopefully they can do it in this final, against a world champion, which is no small feat. That way, future generations will also have nice stories to tell.
The tournament of Ascencio
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Deputy Editor
@josasc
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