Jhon Lucumí #3

Profile

Destined to become a footballer. The day he was born, Colombia were knocked out of the 1998 World Cup by England, bringing an end to the Carlos Valderrama generation. It was at the club that Valderrama left for Europe, Deportivo Cali, where Lucumí started out. Scout Michel Arango saw him playing on a pitch in Cali’s San Luisito neighbourhood: he was only 10, playing as a striker, but stood out because of his height. Arango suggested he would be better off as a defender. He was playing for Cali’s first team at 17, making his debut as a left-back because the coach, Fernando Castro, was without one. Coached by the former Colombia centre-back Mario Yepes, Lucumí secured a move to Europe with Genk and is part of the Bologna team that reached Champions League proper and won last year’s Coppa Italia.

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