Atlético Nacional is great, it plays like a great and wins like a great. If in the first leg against Tolima he grabbed the star with a giant hand, in Ibagué he lowered it with a fight, with hierarchy, so that from now on it rests on the chest of each fan, so that it is like a new heart for that shield, a shield of 17 hearts. And if he did, it’s because he has a high-class team. Going over Nacional’s payroll is recounting the names of many stars. The complete constellation is called Atlético Nacional.
figures between figures
There he is, as a leader of attitudes, as an administrator of functions and as a spokesman for passions, coach Hernán Darío Herrera, a man who has green blood. Herrera, 64, a former soccer player, champion of the Colombian Cup in 2018, had the League title between his eyebrows, and this year it was finally given to him: he came to the position as coach of Nacional at a time of crisis, he was going to be a temporary stay, and he stayed, and got the team going, the stars shone under his command. Herrera said, without turning red, that his role was to be a champion, not to play pretty. And he complied. Playing nice will come later.
Inside the court, the figures shone with splendor. One of the key players in this title ended up being Yerson Candelo, and of course, if Candelo will go down in history for scoring one of the most beautiful goals of the finals in Colombia, the one he scored in the first leg from before midfield, the one that made you think that the title was no longer going to get out of hand.
Another who deserves a separate altar is Dorlan Pabón, that seasoned attacker who returned to the club after his international tour to become champion again, he had already done so in 2011. Today, at 34 years old, he fulfilled the purpose. The championship witnessed his deployment, his mid-distance bombardments, his goals. His rivals suffered at every turn, with his indecipherable game. Dorlan was also one of the leaders of the champion squad, the brains on the court, a player of the highest level. In the final series against Tolima he ratified it. With players like Dorlan on the pitch, Nacional always enjoyed personality, experience, and character.
But many others stood out: among them Jarlan Barrera, that player who enjoys immense talent, exquisite football, but also a player who has endured much criticism, retaliated by scoring the title goal.
And there is more, the experience of Giovanni Moreno, the impetus of Gómez, the 8 goals of Jefferson Duque, the saves by goalkeeper Mier –like that decisive penalty–, the personality of Olivera and Cabal, the genius of Mantilla… National It was a football constellation.
PAUL ROMERO
Editor of THE TIME
@PabloRomeroET
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