Colombia boss, Jose Pekerman announced his World Cup squad for Brazil and the big news coming through was the absence of star player, Radamel Falcao. The striker who was injured while playing for AS Monaco was named in the initial 30 man squad, but now misses out on the final 23. A big blow for the team that many are excited to watch in action at the World Cup.
Another striker that misses out is Udinese’s Luis Muriel with the 23-year-old failing to convince Argentine Pekerman of his ability. Edwin Valencia, Stefan Medina & Luis Perea (who had the second highest International caps in the 30 man squad) were the others who also miss out with injury, like Falcao. Another surprise exclusion was Aquivaldo Mosquera, the ex-Sevilla man, also failed to make the cut alongwith Macnelly Torres and Elkin Soto.
#TalentRadar was happy to learn that all the four youngsters who made the original 30 man squad survived the cut and will now be travelling to Brazil. James Rodriguez is the biggest name that has been included in the 23, with the Monaco man expected to play a major role in the side.
Porto’s Juan Quintero also made the 23 list. The 21-yr-old featured in our list of 100 Best Young Players to Watch-out for in 2014, coming in at #4 in our list of midfielders. River Plate’s Eder Alvarez Balanta also made the final squad, he too had featured in our 100 Best Young Players to Watch-out for in 2014 list, coming in at #7 in our list of defenders. PSV’s Santiago Arias also made the Colombia squad after impressing in the Eredivisie.
Here’s Colombia’s final World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers | David Ospina (Nice), Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali), Camilo Vargas (Santa Fe)
Defenders | Camilo Zuniga (Napoli), Pablo Armero (Napoli), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Mario Yepes (Atalanta), Carlos Valdes (Philadelphia Union), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Eder Alvarez-Balanta (River Plate)
Midfielders | James Rodriguez (Monaco), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Fredy Guarin (Inter Milan), Juan Fernando Quintero (Porto), Aldo Ramirez (Morelia), Alexander Mejia (Atletico Nacional), Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari), Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Fiorentina)
Forwards | Jackson Martinez (Porto), Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), Carlos Bacca (Sevilla), Adrian Ramos (Borussia Dortmund)
