Camilo Vargas #12

Profile

Knows a thing or two about ending curses, having done so at two of South America’s most traditional clubs. In 2012 he helped his first team, Santa Fe, win their first league title since 1975. And that had a lot to do with his mother-in-law, Sandra Merino. She didn’t like football but started to take an interest when her daughter, Ángela, got together with Vargas. A devout follower of Christ, Sandra told the Santa Fe directors that the team was being affected by witchcraft. Despite initial scepticism the club invited Sandra to meet the team and she cleaned their feet. After that the players took to the field barefoot before matches. It worked. When playing in Mexico in 2021, Vargas helped Atlas win their first title in 70 years. The shy goalkeeper rarely has much to say in front of the media and has the patience of a saint: he only replaced David Ospina as Colombia’s No 1 in his late 30s.

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