The present of the Colombian National Team, in the midst of the Copa América dispute, has several members of the team who went to the last World Cup in Russia in 2018.
However, many of those names that gave joy in that contest and in Brazil 2014, were in the background very soon, even though they had prominence.
‘Deleted’ from the Colombian National Team after Brazil 2014
The 23-player squad list, published at the time by the Colombian Football Federation, serves as a basis to see those who were gradually absent from the team.
Names like Carlos Carbonero or Víctor Ibarbo were part of the surprises that they joined the team and that later they would not have a presence in the team again.
Éder Álvarez Balanta was hardly called again without major prominence for a knockout game for the World Cup in Russia, while Alexander Mejía was in the 2015 Copa América and had no new opportunities.
The most striking cases were those of Fredy Guarin, Pablo Armero, Jackson Martínez, Camilo Zúñiga and Adrián Ramos, although each had different reasons.
Martínez, Zúñiga and Ramos suffered injuries that even the first two were taken to retirement. For its part, Armero had a low form and, although he returned for a qualifying match to Russia, he was relegated.
Guarín lost visibility during his presence in Chinese football. The midfielder was in two games of the tie, but the arrival of new figures in his place took away his space.
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A special chapter has Teófilo Gutiérrez that, although he managed to join the team in some games of the tie, he lost ground to new scorers on the international scene.
Out of the Colombia team after Russia 2018
The elimination against England after the quarterfinals of that tournament was the last game for some players on the final squad.
Carlos Sánchez finished a long cycle with the ‘Tricolor’ after that World Cup, as he was no longer even in the friendlies after the departure of Argentine José Pékerman.
Abel Aguilar, who retired in 2020, also closed his way with the team, while the forward Carlos Bacca was not taken into account in new calls.
(Read also: “Too arrogant”: Cadavid, in Guarín’s phrase; he did not care that he is celebrating)
Names that were a surprise in that World Cup like Farid Díaz, José Izquierdo and José Cuadrado did not wear the shirt again of the national team.
The one who was in the new process but did not have a place again was Cristian Zapata, who defended the colors of the country in the Copa América in 2019 and after that has not been called up again.
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