Fidel Escobar #4

Profile

Escobar was still having kickabouts on the street in his home neighbourhood of El Chorrillo in Panama City when he made his first-team debut for San Francisco aged 17. “El Comendante” is now an imposing figure at the back and a leader. After breaking through at New York Red Bulls alongside compatriot Amir Murillo, he had spells in Spain’s lower leagues before a move to Saprissa in 2022. The defender has become an idol in Costa Rica, winning four league titles and scoring in the Torneo de Copa final victory in April this year. When he won his first trophy with the club, he looked to the sky and dedicated it to his late mother. “This is what she wanted,” he said. After overcoming a hernia problem, he will play at his second World Cup after 2018.

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