“El Pibe”
the Eternal Captain of the National Team
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Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio most recognized as “el Pibe Valderrama” is an ex football player of Colombia, consider as one of the maximum exponents of the Colombian football and also of South America. “El Pibe” was midfielders for very good technique that participate in different tournaments as the World Cups of Italia 1990, Unite States 1994 and France 1998. Valderrama is the first Colombian player of being in hall of fame of Football he was included by Pele in 2014, also Valderrama occupies the position 39 in the ranking of the Football Player of the Century. Valderrama also won awards like the Best Player of America two times one in 1987 and the other time in 1993, “El Pibe” won tournaments with his clubs he won two times The Colombian Championship with the Junior of Barranquilla and also he won the France Tournament with the Montpellier Herault SC. Valderrama also is the football player with the biggest amount of played matches with the National Selection.
Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio was born 2 of September in Santa
Marta in the neighborhood Pescaito, is the son of Carlos Valderrama and
of Juliana Palacio. “El Pibe” met the football in his neighborhood
(Pescaito, Santa Marta), as his brothers Alan and Roland, his uncle
Pablo and his father Carlos; all of them ex football players. Is in the
school “Jhon F. Kennedy”, when he was in primary when he use his first
football uniform, and then is in the “Liceo de Celedon” where he
graduates in 1979, and it's also their where he takes the decision of
been a professional football player. In 1981 “el Pibe” debuts in the
first division of colombian football in the Union Magdalena, also in
that year start his first year with the Colombia young selection.
After playing in Union Magdalena in 1981, in 1984 "el Pibe" went to
Millonarios, team where no have figuration because the coach Jorge Luis
Pinto doesn't let him play so much, and one year before in 1985 he was
loaned to Deportivo Cali where he get recognized tanks for the due
formed with Bernardo Redín getting the title of sub champion in the
Colombian Tournament of 1985 and 1986 and there was where
Valderrama start getting recognition. In 1988 "el Pibe" was loaned to
the Montpellier Herault SC of France where he won the France cup in
1990; but his firsts months in the French team was very difficult
despite he came to the French team with the title of the best player of
America in 1987, the coach the French team Pierre Mosca doesn't give
him many minutes in the field, and also some times the coach doesn't
consider not even as a substitution, even some times the coach sent him
to train with the team of third division. When Mosca let the time in
hands of the coach Aime Jacquet he let Valderrama be in the bank as an
substitute and he let he play in last minutes of the matches; when
Jacquet was dismissed the new coach was Michel Mezzy that arrived in
the in the team in 1991, Valderrama with this new coach was again
holder and can show all his talent. In 1991 Valderrama is loaned to
Real Valladolid of Spain where also was the Colombians Rene Higuita,
Leonel Alvarez, and the coach Francisco Maturana, even that the team do
a very poor campaign that season. In 1992 "el Pibe" return to Colombia,
but this time to play with the Independiente Medellin, he play with the
direction of the coach Julio Comesaña, even the team doesn't classify
to the final Valderrama was the best player of that season. In 1993
Valderrama is loaned to the Atletico Junior of Barrranquilla as he last
coach Julio Comesaña that was also loaned to the Atletico Junior of
Barrranquilla; in this team "el Pibe" was the captain and also in this
year was again recognized as the player of the year. 1995 Valderrama
with his team again get the opportunity of been the champion of the
Colombian Tournament. Finally in 1996 Valderrama go to United States
and play with the Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-97 and 2000-01), Miami Fusion
(1998-99) and Colorado Rapids (2001-02). During his stage in United
States Valderrama was being loaned to the Deportivo Cali in 1996. In
the Colorado Rapids Valderrama retire from the professional football.
His first convocation to the national team was in 1985 for the matches
to the classifications for the World Cup of 1986 that was in Mexico. In
1987 with the direction of Francisco Maturana, participates in American
Cup of 1987 of Argentina, in this tournament Valderrama gets the title
of best player of America. In 1988 Valderrama is part of the national
team that travel to Europe to participate in the Cup Sir Stanley Rous
with England and Scotland. In 1989 Valderrama play the American Cup
celebrated in Brazil, where Colombia is being eliminated in the first
round, and also in the same year Valderrama play with his selection the
classifications to the World Cup of 1990 that was in Italy, where
the national team get qualified, but in this tournament Colombia get
eliminated in the octaves of final, but during all the tournament "el
Pibe" was recognized as the captain of the team and also as the eje of
the team. In 1991 the national team get in charge of the coach Luis
Augusto Garcia, participating in the America Cup of 1991 that was in
Chile, getting the fourth place of this tournament. In 1993 again the
national team was in the hands of Francisco Maturana, Valderrama was
again part of the national team but this time to compete in the America
Cup of 1993 that was played in Ecuador, the national selection this
time get the third place in the tournament. In the
classifications to the World Cup of 1994 that was in the United
States, Colombian classify for the tournament directly as the head of
his group, this year Valderrama again was recognized as the best player
of America. 1994 in the match against Sweden, the player Kennet
Anderson hit Valderrama in his leg leaving it very affected, but
Valderrama stand some more minutes in the field and get revenge against
the Swedish player, consequently the referee show him the first red
card in all his career with the national selection, finally Valderrama
was expelled from the match with a injury in his leg, that leave him 53
days out of the fields. In 1995 Valderrama play his last America Cup,
with the national selection directed by Hernan Dario Gomez in this
occasion Colombia get the third place again. His last stage with the
national team was in the classification of the World Cup of 1998 and in
the World Cup of 1998 that was in France.
Although Valderrama last official match for the US league was on the
team Colorado Rapids in September 2003, but only in February 1 of 2004
in Barrranquilla a match of tribute was held, and with this match
Valderrama officially retire from the professional football. In the
second half of the season of 2007, Valderrama accepted the direction
and the technical assistance of the Junior of Barraquilla, making duet
with Luis Grau in the direction of the team, both ex players and also
ex championship of the Colombian Tournament with this team in the final
decade of the twentieth century. In 2011 is confirm that "el Pibe" was
going to play the Hexagonal of Olaya, the tournament most important of
amateur football, that was played during December of 2011 and January
of 2012 with the team Centenario - Kimo. In 2012 the International
Olympic Committee chose him as one of the representatives to carry the
Olympic Flame during the Olympic Games in London 2012. On January 7 of
2013 he was invited to the gala Golden Ball organized by the FIFA to
give the Puskás Award for best goal of the year 2012. In July 30 of
2013 accepted the invitation of the National Indigenous Organization of
Colombia to train Indian football team of Colombia with technical
assistance from Faustino Asprilla. In November 28 of 2013 announced his
candidacy for the senate by the U Party for the elections of March of
2014.