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Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the other two teams being
Millonarios Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
and Santa Fe. Atlético Nacional was founded in 1947 as ''Club Atlético Municipal de Medellín'' by Luis Alberto Villegas López, a former president of the football league of Antioquia. The current owner,
Organización Ardila Lülle Organización Ardila Lülle is one of the most important conglomerates in Colombia. After positioning his company in the beverage sector, Carlos Ardila Lülle founded and consolidated the Organización Ardila Lülle, today comprising over 80 compan ...
, officially acquired the team in 1996. According to
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
, Atlético Nacional is the club with the largest number of fans in Colombia. Atlético Nacional plays its home games at the
Atanasio Girardot Manuel Atanasio Girardot Díaz (2 May 1791 – 30 September 1813) was a Colombian revolutionary leader. Son of Louis Girardot, wealthy merchant and French miner, Girardot fought with Simón Bolívar in the '' Campaña Admirable'' and other bat ...
stadium, which has a capacity of 40,043. They share the stadium with their local rivals,
Independiente Medellín Deportivo Independiente Medellín, also known as Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at Estadio Atanasio Girardo ...
. The teams face each other in a local derby known as ''
El Clásico Paisa ''El Clásico Paisa'' is the name for the rivalry between the teams of Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín. They share the Atanasio Girardot stadium, with a capacity of over 40,000, infamous for its aggressive background. Commonly, the ...
'', which is considered one of the most important local derbies in the country. Atlético Nacional also has rivalries with
Millonarios Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
and
América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...
, two of the most important rivalries in Colombian football and South America. Considered to be one of the strongest clubs from Colombia, it is one of the most consistent clubs in the country. Nacional is the only Colombian club that has won the two domestic short-format tournaments in a single year, Apertura and Finalización, since the format was established in 2002, winning the titles of the
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
and 2013 seasons. The club has won 17 league titles, five Copa Colombia and three
Superliga Colombiana The Superliga Colombiana (''Colombian Superleague''), officially known as Superliga BetPlay DIMAYOR due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is an official competition contested between the winners of the Apertura and Finalización t ...
, for a total of 25 domestic titles, making it the most successful team within Colombia. It was also the first Colombian club to win the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
in 1989 and, after winning the title again in 2016, the most successful Colombian side in that tournament. It also has the most international titles of any Colombian club, having also won the
Copa Merconorte The Copa Merconorte () was an international football competition organized by CONMEBOL from 1998 to 2001 by clubs from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela and starting in 2000 clubs from the CONCACAF confederation were invited in ...
twice, the Copa Interamericana twice, and the
Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club association football, football compe ...
once, for a total of seven international trophies. In 2016, Atlético Nacional was ranked by IFFHS as the best football club in the world, becoming the first South American club, and the first outside Europe, to receive such an honor in that ranking. It ranks 58th in the world ranking of the best clubs of all time according to the IFFHS, being the second-best-ranked Colombian team on the list. It is also ranked as the second-best Colombian club of the 20th century and as the best Colombian club so far in the 21st century. Nacional is also credited as the best Colombian team in
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
club tournaments and ranks 17th in the official club ranking of the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
.


History

Atlético Nacional was founded as ''Club Atlético Municipal de Medellín'' on 7 March 1947 by a partnership led by Luis Alberto Villegas López, former president of the football league of Antioquia. The club was created to promote sports in the city, especially football and basketball. It was based on ''Unión Indulana Foot-Ball Club'', an amateur club from the ''Liga Antioqueña de Fútbol'', the local amateur football league. Officially, the founding members were: Luis Alberto Villegas Lopera, Jorge Osorio, Alberto Eastman, Jaime Restrepo, Gilberto Molina, Raúl Zapata Lotero, Jorge Gómez Jaramillo, Arturo Torres Posada and Julio Ortiz. Atlético Nacional joined the professional league for its first edition in
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
. For that tournament, each club had to pay a fee of 1,000
pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...
(at that time, approximately US$1,050). Atlético Nacional played the first match of the history of the tournament, a 2–0 victory over Universidad. The tournament had ten participants that season and Atlético Nacional was 6th with seven victories, four draws and seven defeats. Atlético Municipal changed to its current name, Atlético Nacional, for the 1951 season. The name change was made as a way to reflect the main philosophy of the club: to encourage the national sportsman. That philosophy was also reflected in the club's policy of signing only national players, which held special meaning during Colombia's
El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
period, a time when most Colombian clubs were aggressively pursuing foreigners. It was not until 1953 that the club signed their first foreign player, Argentine Atilio Miotti. Atlético Nacional won its first league title in
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
. Manager Fernando Paternoster (who managed the team from 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957) guided the team through a season in which they lost just once (to
Boca Juniors de Cali Boca Juniors de Cali is a professional football club which represented the city of Cali since its creation in 1937 until its exit from professional football in 1957 and again from 2019 onwards competing in the Categoría Primera B, the second t ...
). The star was Argentine striker Carlos Gambina, who led the league with 21 goals. Economic troubles plagued the team in the late 1950s, and during 1958 the club was briefly forced to merge with crosstown rivals Independiente Medellín. These financial problems and occasional returns to the club's policy of only signing Colombian players hampered results, and the club failed to win another title for nineteen years. The drought was finally broken in 1973. The revival had actually started after the 1970 season, with the hiring of manager José Curti and the signing of midfielder
Jorge Hugo Fernández Jorge Hugo Fernández (born 24 February 1942) is an Argentine former footballer. He played in four matches for the Argentina national football team from 1963 to 1967. He was also part of Argentina's squad for the 1963 South American Championship ...
. In 1971, Nacional won the Apertura title and only narrowly lost the national championship to Santa Fe (they fell 3–2 in a second replay of a bitterly fought championship playoff). Following a strong finish in 1972, Nacional won its second league title in 1973. They qualified for the final stage by winning the ''Torneo Finalización'' with 34 points, then finished first in a three-way round robin against
Millonarios Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
and
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
. This championship was followed up by a runner-up finish in 1974. 1976 saw a new era for the club begin, with the hiring of Argentine manager Osvaldo Zubeldia. With his strong emphasis on conditioning and physical play, Zubeldia was able to manage the club to two further titles, 1976 and 1981, as well as regular finishes towards the top of the table. During the Zubeldia era, the heart of the team was
César Cueto César Augusto Cueto Villa (born 6 June 1952 in Lima) is a Peruvian former attacking midfielder, nicknamed "El Poeta de la zurda" (English: the Left-footed Poet), recognized as one of the most talented players that Peruvian soccer has produced. ...
, central midfielder and team captain from 1979 to 1983. During the 1981 championship season, Cueto was voted the league's player of the year. This successful era ended with Zubeldia's sudden death of a heart attack in January 1982. Nacional remained a power in Colombia, but the death of their manager, the departure of Cueto, and the rise of América de Cali (the Red Devils won five straight championships in the 1980s) left its fans dissatisfied, and began a decade-long trophy drought. Determined to break their stranglehold, the club made a significant change in 1987. First, they appointed Francisco Maturana as manager. A regular in the team's defense during the 1970s, Maturana was considered a rising star in Colombian football management and had just been named manager of the national team. Maturana was thus simultaneously trying to lead the club to a domestic title and assemble a national side that could qualify for the World Cup. The two goals were complementary; Atlético Nacional's traditional preference for Colombians over foreigners made them a natural base for Maturana to build his national team upon. However, there was also another development of more questionable legality; in the 1980s, Nacional was linked to the Medellín Cartel. Its leader,
Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in h ...
, who was also the most prominent of Colombia's drug lords, was a fan of both football and betting, and also wanted to invest in a local club and find a way to launder his drug money. Although Escobar never took a public role, the money he poured into the club made a major impact. In Maturana's words, "The introduction of drug money into soccer allowed us to bring in great foreign players. It also kept our best players from leaving. Our level of play took off. People saw our situation and said Pablo was involved. But they couldn't prove it". Regardless of how the club was assembled, by 1987 they certainly had a strong roster featuring a collection of Colombian internationals. In goal was René Higuita, the flamboyant keeper known for his tendency to leave his area. In defense they had the cool, calm, and collected
Andrés Escobar Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (; 13 March 1967 – 2 July 1994) was a Colombian footballer who played as a defender. He played for Atlético Nacional, BSC Young Boys, and the Colombia national team. Nicknamed ''The Gentleman'', he was known ...
and veteran
Luis Fernando Herrera Luis Fernando Herrera Arango (born June 12, 1962) is a retired football defender. He was capped 61 times and scored 1 international goal for Colombia between 1987 and 1996. He is current head coach for Atlético Huila. Career Herrera (nickname ...
. The midfield featured Leonel Álvarez (capped over 100 times for Colombia) and
Alexis García Alexis Enrique García Vega (born 21 July 1960) is a Colombian retired football midfielder. He is currently the manager of La Equidad in the Categoría Primera A. Club career Along with seven more siblings, he grew up in barrio La Floresta of ...
(team captain and Medellín native). In the attack, the club could count on
John Jairo Tréllez John Jairo Tréllez Valencia (; born 29 April 1968) is a retired Colombian footballer. A striker, he played most of his career with Atlético Nacional of Medellín. He has a son, also a striker, Santiago Tréllez. Career Tréllez was born in ...
, one of the country's most prolific goal-scorers. This lineup was good enough to finish second in both the Apertura and Finalización, qualifying for the championship round, in which they finished fourth. The 1988 season was even better, as the club qualified for the championship round again, finishing as runners-up behind
Millonarios Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
. That result was good enough to qualify the team for the
1989 Copa Libertadores The Copa Libertadores 1989 was the 30th edition in the tournament history. 21 teams participated in the competition, divided by groups of four (two per country). The first three teams qualify for the next round. Nacional of Montevideo entered dir ...
. The entire focus of the 1989 campaign was on the Copa Libertadores, which Atlético Nacional hoped to become the first Colombian club to win the competition. In the group stage, ''Los Verdolagas'' were placed with fellow Colombian side Millonarios, as well as Ecuadorian clubs
Deportivo Quito Sociedad Deportivo Quito is an Ecuadorian non-professional club football club based in Quito. For most of its existence, it competed in Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league. And currently competes in the Seg ...
and Emelec. Two wins and three draws allowed Nacional to advance out of the group stages for the first time in five attempts. In the round of 16, they defeated
Racing Club Racing Club may refer to: Football * Racing Club Abidjan, Ivory Coast * K.R.C. Genk, Belgium * Racing Club Bafoussam, Cameroon * Racing Club Beirut, Lebanon * Racing Club de Avellaneda, Argentina * Racing Club Haïtien, Haiti * Racing Club Port ...
of Argentina by an aggregate score of 3–2. That sent them into the quarterfinals for an all-Colombian matchup with Millonarios, their group stage opponent. Nacional won the first leg 1–0, then held out for a 1–1 draw in a controversial match in Bogotá, advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals the team faced
Danubio Danubio Fútbol Club is a Uruguayan football club based in Jardines del Hipódromo, Montevideo that currently plays in the Uruguayan Primera División. Founded in 1932, the club's home stadium is Jardines del Hipódromo, which has a capacity o ...
of Uruguay. The away match ended in a 0–0 draw, but four goals from
Albeiro Usuriaga Albeiro Usuriaga López (12 June 1966 – 11 February 2004) was a Colombian professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Palomo'', he played professionally in Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay and ...
sparked a 6–0 rout in the return match to send the club into the finals. In the finals, they faced Paraguay's Olimpia, who had already played two Libertadores finals in their history. The first leg, played in Asunción, saw Olimpia grab a 2–0 win. Nacional answered in the second leg (played in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
on the grounds that the Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín was too small) with a 2–0 win of their own. The tie went into penalty kicks, where Nacional won 5–4, giving the club its first Copa Libertadores title, while becoming the first Colombian club to win the competition as well. Whilst the club hit that milestone abroad, the domestic league season was cancelled due to the assassination of referee Álvaro Ortega on 1 October after a match between Independiente Medellin and America de Cali. Although Pablo Escobar did not murder the referee himself, it is believed that one of Escobar's hitmen did. Later that month, the team played the Supercopa Libertadores and were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Independiente. On 17 December, Nacional played the
1989 Intercontinental Cup The 1989 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match played on 17 December 1989 between Milan of Italy, winners of the 1988–89 European Cup, and Atlético Nacional of Colombia, winners of the 1989 Copa Libertadores. The match was pla ...
against Milan, champion of the
1988–89 European Cup The 1988–89 European Cup was the 34th season of the European Cup football club tournament. The competition was won for the first time since 1969, and third time overall, by Milan comfortably in the final against former winners Steaua Bucureșt ...
. The result was a 1–0 defeat with a 119-minute free kick goal from
Alberigo Evani Alberico Evani (; born 1 January 1963), sometimes misspelled as Alberigo Evani, is an Italian football manager and former player, who was deployed as a midfielder. He started his club career with Milan, where he spent the majority of his playin ...
. As champion of the Copa Libertadores, Nacional also played the 1989 Copa Interamericana against
Pumas UNAM Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Fo ...
, winner of the
1989 CONCACAF Champions' Cup The 1989 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 25th edition of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. UNAM won the fin ...
. It was played over two legs, and Nacional won it with an aggregate score of 6–1. They also played the
1990 Recopa Sudamericana The 1990 Recopa Sudamericana was the second Recopa Sudamericana, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's Copa Libertadores and Supercopa Sudamericana competitions. Originally, the title was supposed to be disputed on ...
against
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
, which finished in a 1–0 defeat. The involvement of Pablo Escobar in the club remained strong. Some referees were threatened in the league and even in the Copa Libertadores, for which
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
banned Colombian clubs from the
1990 Copa Libertadores The Copa Libertadores 1990 was won by Club Olimpia after defeating Barcelona Sporting Club with a 3-1 aggregate in the finals. One of the players for Olimpia was legendary goalkeeper Ever Hugo Almeida, who retired from professional football the f ...
, with the exception of Nacional who was admitted as champion of the previous edition. However, the team had to play its home matches in Chile. Juan Daniel Cardellino, an Uruguayan referee, confessed to receiving death threats and $20,000 during the 1990 Copa Libertadores match between Nacional and Vasco da Gama. Nacional had won the match 2–0, but the result was annulled. A replay was ordered to be played in Santiago, and Nacional won 1–0. However, all Colombian clubs were banned from playing at their home venues for the
1991 Copa Libertadores The 1991 Copa Libertadores was won by Colo-Colo of Chile after defeating Olimpia of Paraguay with a 3–0 aggregate score in the finals. The championship would mark a first for a Chilean club team in an international tournament. Twenty-one clubs ...
as a result. Nacional were later eliminated in the semi-finals by their rival in the 1989 Libertadores final: Olimpia. Nacional was banned from playing the Supercopa Libertadores in
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
and
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
due to the incidents in the match against Vasco da Gama. They returned for the 1992 edition, but performed very badly, and were eliminated in the first round with a humiliating 8–0 defeat to Cruzeiro. In the 1991 Libertadores, Nacional were once again eliminated in the semi-finals by Olimpia, while in that same year they won their fifth Primera A title after placing first in the final round against América, Junior and Santa Fe. The ''Verdolagas'' won two more domestic titles in the 1990s: in 1994 they won their sixth league title after topping the championship round against Millonarios, América, and Independiente Medellín, whilst in 1999 they won their seventh title after beating América on penalties in the final. In 1995, Nacional made the Copa Libertadores finals again, losing to Gremio. In 1996, Atlético Nacional was bought by the
Organización Ardila Lülle Organización Ardila Lülle is one of the most important conglomerates in Colombia. After positioning his company in the beverage sector, Carlos Ardila Lülle founded and consolidated the Organización Ardila Lülle, today comprising over 80 compan ...
, becoming the first Colombian football club with corporate backing. In 2002, Nacional made the Copa Sudamericana finals, losing to Argentine club
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
4–0 on aggregate. Nacional left again the practise of a team with no foreign players in 2004, when the team signed the Venezuelan winger Jorge Rojas and the Argentine midfielder Hugo Morales. That season, Nacional made the final in both the Apertura and Finalización tournaments, but lost to rivals Independiente Medellín and Junior, respectively. In 2007, Nacional won both tournaments of the year: in the Apertura they beat
Atlético Huila Atlético Huila is a professional Colombian football team based in Neiva, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. The club was founded on November 29, 1990, making it one of the youngest professional football clubs in Colombia. The club' ...
, and in the Finalización, they defeated La Equidad in the finals. In
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, Nacional played the worst season of its history, where the team placed 17th in the Torneo Apertura with three victories in eighteen matches. In the Torneo Finalización, the team did a lot better, finishing seventh in the regular season and qualifying to the playoffs, where they finished second and failed to qualify for the finals. In 2011, Atlético Nacional won their eleventh championship after beating La Equidad over two legs in the finals of the Apertura tournament, but in the Finalización, Nacional finished 12th in the Torneo Apertura and failed to qualify to the next round, with the same thing occurring in the 2012 Apertura. During the Apertura, they were knocked out by Vélez Sársfield in the Copa Libertadores round of 16. Due to this, the team signed manager
Juan Carlos Osorio Juan Carlos Osorio Arbeláez (; born 8 June 1961) is a Colombian professional football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. Osorio began his playing career with Deportivo Pereira in 1982, and went on to play for Brazilian c ...
in May, even though Osorio was coming off a poor spell with his previous club
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
, winning only twice in eleven matches. For the Torneo Finalización, Nacional placed fifth and qualified to the next round. The team was unable to advance to the finals, placing second in their group behind city rivals Independiente Medellín. However, Nacional won its first Copa Colombia title that year, beating
Deportivo Pasto Asociación Deportivo Pasto, also known as Deportivo Pasto, is a Colombian professional football team based in the city of Pasto, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Estadio Departamental Libertad. D ...
with an aggregate score of 2–0. The team also won the first edition of the
Superliga Colombiana The Superliga Colombiana (''Colombian Superleague''), officially known as Superliga BetPlay DIMAYOR due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is an official competition contested between the winners of the Apertura and Finalización t ...
, defeating Junior with an aggregate score of 6–1. The next year, Nacional won for the second time the two tournaments of the league, Apertura and Finalización. In the Apertura, Nacional beat Santa Fe in the finals. In the Finalización, they defeated
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
. In total, the team got 29 victories, 16 draws and 7 defeats that year. The team also won its second Copa Colombia title defeating
Millonarios Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
with an aggregate score of 3–2, completing a domestic double in the process. Nacional began the 2014 season with the 2014 Superliga Colombiana, where the team lost 4–3 on penalties to Deportivo Cali after a 2–2 draw on aggregate. In the
2014 Copa Libertadores The 2014 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2014 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier international club football tournament organized ...
, Nacional was eliminated in the quarterfinals by
Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievemen ...
3–0 on aggregate. Three days later, they lost 1–0 to Junior in the first leg of the finals. However they came back in dramatic fashion in the second leg; with the score tied at 1–1 Junior was just minutes away from lifting the Colombian title, but a goal from Jhon Valoy in the 94th minute sent the game to penalties, where Nacional won the shootout and lifted their third consecutive title, becoming the first Colombian club to win three consecutive short tournaments. Nacional followed this championship with a good performance in the
2014 Copa Sudamericana The 2014 Copa Sudamericana (officially the 2014 Copa Total Sudamericana for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary international club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. Lanús were t ...
, and although they were almost eliminated at the hands of Paraguayan minnows General Díaz in the second stage, they made the finals, where they faced River Plate. The first leg, played in Medellín, was a 1–1 draw. The second leg, played in Buenos Aires, was won by River Plate with a 2–0 score, making this the second runner-up finish for the club after losing the final in 2002. In the 2015 Torneo Apertura, Nacional was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Deportivo Cali. After the tournament ended, Osorio left the team after getting signed by São Paulo, being replaced by
Reinaldo Rueda Reinaldo Rueda Rivera (born 16 April 1957) is a Colombian Association football, football coach. When he was the coach of the Colombia national under-20 football team, Colombia U-20 team, they finished 3rd at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championsh ...
, who previously managed the Ecuador national team and got them to the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, doing the same with the Honduras national team in 2010. In the Torneo Finalización, Nacional achieved 45 points in the regular season, winning 14 out of 20 games. They qualified to the playoffs as the first seed and later beat crosstown rivals Independiente Medellín on their path to the finals, where they defeated Junior on
penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...
after a 2–2 draw on aggregate. Jefferson Duque was the top goalscorer of the team and the tournament with 15 goals. With this title, Nacional became the team with the most league titles with fifteen and a total of twenty-five titles including international tournaments. The start of 2016 brought a second
Superliga Colombiana The Superliga Colombiana (''Colombian Superleague''), officially known as Superliga BetPlay DIMAYOR due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is an official competition contested between the winners of the Apertura and Finalización t ...
title, beating
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
, thus qualifying for the
2016 Copa Sudamericana The 2016 Copa Sudamericana ( pt, Copa Sul-Americana 2016) was the 15th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The finals were originally to be played between Brazilian team Ch ...
. Nacional placed second in the 2016 Torneo Apertura with 39 points, just one point behind rivals Independiente Medellín. The club was eliminated by Junior in the semifinals, losing 4–2 on penalties. In the
2016 Copa Libertadores The 2016 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2016 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 57th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. ...
, Nacional topped its group, winning five of its six matches while conceding no goals. Nacional faced Huracán again in the round of 16. In the first leg in Buenos Aires the teams got a 0–0 draw, while in the second leg at home, Nacional won 4–2, conceding its first goals of the tournament. In the quarterfinals, they faced Rosario Central. The first leg ended with Nacional's first defeat, with
Walter Montoya Walter Iván Alexis Montoya (born 21 July 1993) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right winger or midfielder for Rosario Central. Club career Rosario Central Born in Machagai, Montoya joined Rosario Central's youth categor ...
scoring the lone goal of the match. In the second leg in Medellín, Marco Ruben scored a penalty goal in the eighth minute, thus forcing Nacional to score at least three goals to advance, something they accomplished. The first goal was scored by
Macnelly Torres Macnelly Torres Berrío (born 1 November 1984) is a former Colombian footballer former professional footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder. A playmaker and known for his technical abilities with the ball he was able to win 16 t ...
in injury time of the first half. In the second half Alejandro Guerra scored in the 50th minute and
Orlando Berrío Orlando Enrique Berrío Meléndez (born 14 February 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Paraguayan Primera División club Tacuary. He also represented Colombia national football team in six intern ...
scored the goal to eliminate Rosario in the last minute of the match, shortly before a huge brawl began which eventually extended the match up to the 100th minute. In the semifinals, Nacional faced Brazilian club São Paulo. The team won both matches; the first a 2–0 win in the
Estádio do Morumbi Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, widely known as Morumbi (), is a football stadium located in the eponymous district in São Paulo, Brazil. It is the home of São Paulo Futebol Clube and its formal name honors Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, who w ...
with a brace from
Miguel Borja Miguel Ángel Borja Hernández (born 26 January 1993) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Argentinian club River Plate, and the Colombia national team. Club career Colombia Borja began his career with Deportivo Cali, making h ...
, who was bought by Nacional after becoming the top goalscorer of the Torneo Apertura with 19 goals in 21 matches for
Cortuluá Cortuluá, officially named Cortuluá Fútbol Club S. A. and previously known as Corporación Club Deportivo Tuluá, is a Colombian football club from the municipality of Tuluá in the Valle del Cauca. It was founded in 1967 and plays in the Cate ...
, and was playing his first match with the team. The second leg was a 2–1 win, with an early
Jonathan Calleri Jonathan Calleri (; ; born 23 September 1993) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Brazilian club São Paulo. Calleri started his career at All Boys and played for Boca Juniors for one season before signing for D ...
goal for the Brazilians and again with a brace from
Miguel Borja Miguel Ángel Borja Hernández (born 26 January 1993) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Argentinian club River Plate, and the Colombia national team. Club career Colombia Borja began his career with Deportivo Cali, making h ...
for the local team. The victory meant Nacional reached the finals of the Copa Libertadores for the first time since
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, and their fifth international final overall. In the finals, they beat Independiente del Valle 2–1 on aggregate, winning their second cup and becoming the very first Colombian club to win the competition multiple times. In 2016, Nacional also won its third Copa Colombia title after beating Junior in the finals with an aggregate score of 3–1, becoming the most successful club in the tournament. The participation of Nacional in the
2016 Copa Sudamericana The 2016 Copa Sudamericana ( pt, Copa Sul-Americana 2016) was the 15th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The finals were originally to be played between Brazilian team Ch ...
began in August, with Nacional eliminating Peruvian club
Deportivo Municipal Club Centro Deportivo Municipal, commonly known as Deportivo Municipal, is a Peruvian football club based in Lima, Peru. They are among Peru's most recognizable clubs and enjoy considerable popularity. The bulk of their success was won a few ye ...
6–0 on aggregate. In the next round they beat Bolívar 2–1 on aggregate, thanks to goals from Borja in each leg. In the round of 16, Nacional eliminated Paraguayan club Sol de América, drawing 1–1 away before winning 2–0 at home. In the quarterfinals, the team faced Brazilian club Coritiba, with the first leg ending in a draw. . In the second leg, in
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
, Nacional got a 3–1 victory. Coritiba started winning the match, with a free kick goal from César González, but the ''Verdolagas'' came back and got the victory with a hat-trick from Borja, who became the top goalscorer of the tournament with six goals. In the semifinals, Nacional faced Paraguayan club Cerro Porteño, who had eliminated two Colombian sides in the previous rounds, Santa Fe (the winner of the previous edition) and Independiente Medellín. The first leg, played in Asunción, ended in a 1–1 draw (the same result Nacional got in their last three matches away). The second leg was a 0–0 draw and Nacional advanced to the finals for the third time in its history on away goals. For the finals, Nacional had to face Brazilian team Chapecoense. It was the first final in an international competition for the Brazilian side, who had eliminated Cuiabá, Independiente, Junior and
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
to reach that round. The matches for the finals were scheduled to be played on 30 November in
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
and 7 December in Curitiba. However, on 28 November, two days before the first leg,
LaMia Flight 2933 LaMia Flight 2933 was a charter flight of an Avro RJ85, operated by LaMia, that on 28 November 2016 crashed near Medellín, Colombia, killing 71 of the 77 people on board. The aircraft was transporting the Brazilian Chapecoense football squad a ...
crashed in Cerro Gordo, La Unión, just a few kilometres from
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
, with the Chapecoense team on board. 71 people died, including 19 Chapecoense players, and the finals were suspended as a result. Two days later, Atlético Nacional requested
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
to award Chapecoense with the title. On the planned date of the match, Nacional and the City Council of
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
organised a memorial to honor the victims of the tragedy. About 45,000 people were present inside the stadium and thousand more in the streets. On 5 December, CONMEBOL awarded Chapecoense the title of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana, as requested by Atlético Nacional, who received the "CONMEBOL Centenario Fair Play" award for their gesture. In the 2016 Torneo Finalización, Nacional placed first with 37 points and qualified for the quarterfinals. The team was eliminated in the semifinals by Santa Fe: the first match ended in a 1–1 draw but the second was a 0–4 defeat, with Nacional playing with its youth squad due to its first-team squad competing in the Club World Cup. Nacional qualified to the
2016 FIFA Club World Cup The 2016 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016 presented by Alibaba YunOS Auto for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament ...
as the champion of the 2016 Copa Libertadores, representing South America in the competition. The team began its participation in the semifinals, facing Japanese team
Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fi ...
, who defeated Nacional 3–0 and became the first AFC team to reach the final. Nacional got third place after beating
CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
winner
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
4–3 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in regulation time. Atlético Nacional got its first title of 2017 after beating Brazilian team Chapecoense in the
Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club association football, football compe ...
. The Brazilian side won the first leg with a 2–1 score; however, Atlético Nacional got a 4–1 victory in the second leg, achieving a 5–3 win on aggregate and winning the tournament. In the
2017 Copa Libertadores The 2017 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores (officially the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores Bridgestone 2017 for sponsorship reasons) was the 58th edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores (also referred to as the ''Copa Libertadores''), South America's premier cl ...
, Atlético Nacional crashed out of the competition in the group stage. They were last of its group with six points, in which the club faced Argentine club
Estudiantes de La Plata Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...
, Brazilian club Botafogo and Ecuadorian club Barcelona. As the bottom-placed team in the group, they were not eligible to participate in the second stage of the
2017 Copa Sudamericana The 2017 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 16th edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the ''Copa Sudamericana'', or pt, Copa Sul-Americana), South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. Argent ...
, which would have required them to place at least third in the group. Although Nacional won its sixteenth league championship in the 2017 Apertura, Reinaldo Rueda left his post as manager on 21 June 2017, being replaced by Spanish manager
Juan Manuel Lillo Juan Manuel "Juanma" Lillo Díez (born 3 November 1965) is a Spanish football manager, currently in charge of Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd SC. Having started coaching before his 20s, he was the youngest manager in charge of a La Liga club, h ...
.


Rivalries

Atlético Nacional has had a long rivalry with local team
Independiente Medellín Deportivo Independiente Medellín, also known as Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at Estadio Atanasio Girardo ...
, known under the name of ''El Clásico Paisa'', with the word "Paisa" meaning something originating in the
Antioquia Department ) , anthem = Himno de Antioquia , image_map = Antioquia in Colombia (mainland).svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Antioquia shown in red , image_ma ...
. It is considered one of the most important rivalries in Colombia, and recognised by FIFA as one of the most important match-ups in the country, mainly due to the frequent brawls in between both fanbases. Nacional currently leads this rivalry in terms of wins, with a 30+ win margin. They also have a lot more titles, with 31 to Medellín's 9. However, Independiente Medellín beat them in the final of the 2004 Apertura, which is something Medellin can regard as a great achievement, since throughout history Nacional's squads have almost always had a larger market value than that of Medellín's. The rivalry between Atlético Nacional and
Millonarios Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium. Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
is one of the most important matches in Colombia, with the two clubs holding the most league titles in Colombia (17 and 16, respectively). Dubbed by Colombian media as well as
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
as one of the most important ''clásicos'' or a "''superclásico''" of Colombian football, this rivalry is also considered one of the greatest classic matches in South America by the international press. The rivalry is fueled by a social, cultural and regional character, since it evokes the historical rivalry between two of the most developed regions of Colombia: the Antioquia Department (specifically its capital city Medellín) and the nation's capital Bogotá. Atlético Nacional also has a strong rivalry with
América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...
which involves the two Colombian clubs with the largest fanbases, and has been called by Colombian and international media as one of the most important ''clásicos'' or a ''superclásico'' of Colombian football, just like the rivalry with Millonarios. This rivalry is considered as an extension of the historical sociocultural and sporting rivalry between the Antioquia and Valle del Cauca departments, represented by Atlético Nacional and América, respectively. This match gained importance starting from the decade of the 80s, when both América de Cali and Atlético Nacional began to stand out in local competition and continental tournaments. The two teams have faced each other in final stages 15 times and have played five league title-deciders between them: in 1981, 1984, 1991,
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, and the 2002 Apertura, with Nacional winning three of these (1981, 1991, 1999) and América the remaining two.


Badge and colors

Atlético Nacional's current badge was adopted in 2000. The badge consists of a rectangle elongated downward, with the initials A and N inside, and the tower of a castle above symbolizing "grandeur, tradition, strength and hierarchy", similar to the city's coat of arms. The colors of the team are derived from the flags of the
Antioquia Department ) , anthem = Himno de Antioquia , image_map = Antioquia in Colombia (mainland).svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Antioquia shown in red , image_ma ...
and the city of
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
. The club's main nickname, ''Verdolagas'' ( purslanes) was coined in the 1950s, when the club began using green kits. This plant is endemic to the
Paisa region A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. ...
since pre-Colombian times. The plant blooms a diminutive yellow, white or red flower; the white variety is the most common in the region, giving the color scheme to the team. It is also noteworthy that Antioquia has a great tradition regarding the cultivation of flowers, displayed annually during the Festival of Flowers. File:Escudo de Unión Indulana Foot-Ball Club.svg, File:Escudo de Atlético Nacional (1947-1950).svg, File:Escudo_Atlético_Nacional_1950.png, File:Escudo_Atlético_Nacional_1954.png, File:Escudo_Atlético_Nacional_1989.png, File:Escudo_Atlético_Nacional_1995.png, File:Escudo_Atlético_Nacional_1996.png, File:Escudo Atlético Nacional.png,


Stadium

Atlético Nacional plays its local games at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium, which is part of the Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex and is owned by the Municipality of
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
. The stadium is shared with crosstown rivals
Independiente Medellín Deportivo Independiente Medellín, also known as Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at Estadio Atanasio Girardo ...
. It is located in the Northwestern part of the city and has a capacity of 45,087 spectators. It was inaugurated on 19 March 1953 with a game between Nacional and Alianza Lima, which finished in a 2–2 draw. pp. 26 Before 1948, when the team was known as ''Unión Indulana Foot-Ball Club'', they played its local games at Los Libertadores Racecourse. With the creation of the professional league, they moved to San Fernando Racecourse in
Itagüí Itagüí () is a city of Colombia, located in the south of the Aburrá Valley in the Antioquia Department. It is part of The Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. Demographics The population at the 2005 census was 230,272. Its density is 17&nb ...
, where they played until the inauguration of the Atanasio Girardot in 1953. pp. 13


Honours

* * shared record


Performance in international competitions


Players


Current squad


Out on loan


Notable players


World Cup players

The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted with Atlético Nacional. *
Jairo Arias Jairo Arias Serna (born 2 November 1938) was a Colombian footballer. He was a member of the Colombia national football team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup which was held in Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the we ...
(1962) * Ignacio Calle (1962) *
César Cueto César Augusto Cueto Villa (born 6 June 1952 in Lima) is a Peruvian former attacking midfielder, nicknamed "El Poeta de la zurda" (English: the Left-footed Poet), recognized as one of the most talented players that Peruvian soccer has produced. ...
(1982) *
Guillermo La Rosa Guillermo Claudio La Rosa Laguna (born June 6, 1952) is a retired football forward from Peru. He competed for the Peru national football team at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cup, wearing the number nineteen jersey. He’s nicknamed the 'tan ...
(1982) *
Geovanis Cassiani Geovanis Cassiani Gómez (born January 10, 1970, in Turbo, Antioquia), known as Geovanis Cassiani, is a Colombia former footballer who played as a centre-back. He played for the Colombia national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona ...
(1990) * Luis Fajardo (1990) * Gildardo Biderman Gómez (1990) * René Higuita (1990) * Luis Carlos Perea (1990) *
José Ricardo Pérez José Ricardo Pérez Morales (born 24 October 1963) is a Colombian football defender who played for Colombia in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Retrieved 1 October 2011 He also played for Once Caldas and Atlético Nacional. Currently, he is coaching Co ...
(1990) * León Fernando Villa (1990) * Leonel Álvarez (1990,1994) *
Andrés Escobar Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (; 13 March 1967 – 2 July 1994) was a Colombian footballer who played as a defender. He played for Atlético Nacional, BSC Young Boys, and the Colombia national team. Nicknamed ''The Gentleman'', he was known ...
(1990,1994) *
Luis Fernando Herrera Luis Fernando Herrera Arango (born June 12, 1962) is a retired football defender. He was capped 61 times and scored 1 international goal for Colombia between 1987 and 1996. He is current head coach for Atlético Huila. Career Herrera (nickname ...
(1990,1994) * Hernán Gaviria (1994) * Gabriel Jaime Gómez (1994) * Mauricio Serna (1994) *
Miguel Calero Miguel Ángel Calero Rodríguez (14 April 1971 – 4 December 2012) was a Colombian professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He played 50 times for the Colombia national footba ...
(1998) *
Andrés Estrada Andrés Estrada Murillo (born November 12, 1967) is a Colombian football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to prope ...
(1998) *
Ever Palacios Ever Antonio Palacios (born 18 January 1969) is a Colombian football player, who played for a few clubs, including Deportivo Cali, Atlético Nacional, Atlético Junior, Shonan Bellmare (Japan), Kashiwa Reysol (Japan) and Boyacá Chicó. Career ...
(1998) * José Fernando Santa (1998) * Alexander Mejía (2014)


Managers


External links


Official website


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atletico Nacional Football clubs in Colombia Association football clubs established in 1947 1947 establishments in Colombia Categoría Primera A clubs Unrelegated association football clubs Copa Libertadores winning clubs Copa Merconorte winning clubs Recopa Sudamericana winning clubs Copa Interamericana winning clubs