Colombia will be looking to James Rodriguez to inspire their attacking talent to help guide them to World Cup glory this summer in Russia.
Colombia Factfile
- FIFA World Ranking: 16
- Sky Bet outright winner odds: 40/1
- Best Bet: James Rodriguez top scorer 2/1
- World Cup appearances: 5
- Best World Cup finish: Quarter-finals (2014)
- Nickname: Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers)
Coach - Jose Pekerman: Ex-Argentina manager Pekerman took charge at the start of 2012 and led his side to a creditable quarter-final performance in Brazil 2014. He led Argentina in the 2006 World Cup in Germany so has experience of a tournament in Europe as he bids to at least match the last eight finish last time around.
Legend - Carlos Valdarrama: He of the astonishing hair style, but Colombia's all-time top appearance maker was more than just an outrageous haircut. He scored 11 goals in 111 games but it was his control, technique and play-making ability in midfield that made him one of the most gifted players of his generation. He was a major reason for Colombia qualifying for three straight World Cups from 1990-1998.
Star man - James Rodriguez: Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez has flourished on loan at Bayern Munich. His technical ability was on show for all to see in Brazil, when he grabbed the Golden Boot with six goals in six games. James was top scorer for Colombia in the 2018 qualifiers.
Did you know? Colombia is in an interestingly named ‘Ring of Fire’, which constitutes a group of countries that is located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean that is particularly susceptible to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tremors.
Fun Fact: ‘Colombia’ as a name comes from the famous explorer Christopher Columbus, who was said to have helped in the discovery of the United States of America.
Qualifying: Colombia finished fourth in the South American qualification stages, behind Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. They won seven, drew six and lost five.
Fixtures: Japan (1pm, June 19, Saransk), Poland (7pm, June 24, Kazan), Senegal (3pm, June 28, Samara)
Colombia squad
Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Arsenal), Camilo Vargas (Deportivo Cali), Jose Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas).
Defenders: Cristian Zapata (Milan), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors), Johan Mojica (Girona), Yerry Mina (Barcelona).
Midfielders: Wílmar Barrios (Boca Juniors), Carlos Sanchez (Espanyol), Jefferson Lerma (Levante), Jose Izquierdo (Brighton), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo Cali), Mateus Uribe (America), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus).
Forwards: Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Miguel Borja (Palmeiras), Carlos Bacca (Villarreal), Luis Fernando Muriel (Sevilla).
Colombia Profile
It's a second consecutive World Cup for Colombia, who have their most talented group since the Carlos Valdarrama era of the 1990s when they went to three straight finals.
They managed to get up to third in the FIFA world rankings a couple of years after their quarter-final appearance at the 2014 World Cup, but their qualification for Russia was disappointing, if ultimately successful.
The had to wait 28 years between their first and second World Cup appearances, when they made a colouful impact on Italia 90 as they lost out to Cameroon in extra time following goalkeeper Rene Higuita's error that led to Roger Milla's memorable goal.
Who to watch out for
2014 World Cup top goal scorer James Rodriguez’s form for club and country has been impeccable in recent months and he will be hoping to replicate that in Russia.
Radamel Falcao found a resurgence in France and has been influential for Monaco in recent years both domestically and on the European stage, so the he will be expected to get on the scoresheet in June.
How did they qualify?
It was a scrappy campaign for Colombia, who took just four points from their first four games after tinkering with their style of play and going with three up front at times.
The game of their qualifying campaign was a 3-2 win in Bolivia where they stuck late on after letting a two-goal lead slip, before a much-changed side suffered a bad 3-0 defeat to Argentina.
The final two games saw Paraguay come from behind late on to win 2-1 and put Colombia on the brink of missing out, but a 1-1 draw with Peru saw them through.
Any interesting facts about Colombia?
Colombian are known for their coffee and cocoa bean exports.
The Colombian official currency is known as the Colombian peso.
Colombia has coastlines that are on the Pacific Ocean as well as on the Caribbean Sea along the other side.
Any famous football moments?
Colombia became champions at the Copa America tournament in 2001, beating Mexico as host nation.
Colombia’s performance in the Brazil World Cup in 2014 announced them on the world stage once more, with their free-flowing football, vivid colours and infectious dancing.
