It’s no surprise that Argentina won the Copa America. Albiceleste Argentina entered the tournament as reigning South American and world champions, and were the hot favourites this summer to repeat their 2021 feat. Argentina lived up to those expectations by beating Colombia in the final last Sunday, 1-0.
Apart from not being a surprise, Argentina’s triumph has not taught us anything new, nor shown us anything new. The team is really well endowed. Emi Martínez is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Cristian Romero is in my opinion the best central defender in the game, and if he is to form a wall alongside the equally aggressive Lisandro Martínez in central defence, then it is a wall surrounded by barbed wire and dotted with spikes, a barrier that defends by attackerEnzo Fernández is a superstar in the making. Alexis Mac Allister is exactly what he does. In Rodrigo De Paul’s chest, where you’d expect to find a heart and lungs, there’s a nuclear power plant that provides him with unlimited energy. Between the talents of Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez, Argentina has almost every quality you could want in a centre-forward, making them a manager’s dream timeshare. And at the helm of it all is Lionel Messi, who is old, slow and often lame, but with his guile, wisdom and unwavering confidence, gives the impression that he is always the best.
While all of the aforementioned Argentine players have played well in the Copa, the cumulative effect has not been as dazzling as it has been at other times in this historic series. Argentina have played only one major full-length match – the 2-0 semi-final win over Canada – and have relied on their almost literally impregnable defence (the team conceded only one goal in the entire tournament) and timely contributions from their forwards to secure victories, always with relaxed control of the proceedings. In a way, the inevitability of Argentina’s performances this summer adds to the team’s legend, showing how far they have come. To conquer first a continent and then the world, Argentina have had to rediscover the lost tradition of victory. ours— the legendary style of play on which the country founded its footballing identity — while simultaneously writing an ending to Lionel Messi’s decade-and-a-half-long story with the national team that could turn tragedy into comedy. The momentum of these achievements is so massive that Albiceleste Argentina can now win tournaments by sheer inertia. It never plays badly, has no reason to fear defeat after becoming immortal, knows how to win even when not playing at its best, and is free to chase the one thing the team that has everything wants: more.
But while Argentina may have won the trophy, it wasn’t the team that captured the hearts of viewers. (And anyone who was charmed by Argentina’s latest conquest was probably disappointed in that sentiment once a video emerged of the team on a bus after the final, singing a racist and transphobic song created by fans that essentially says that the black players on the French national team aren’t real English: Beyond the blatant intolerance, one can be struck by the hypocrisy of a nation of immigrants attacking immigrants from another country and their children, but then again, self-awareness and not being racist have never been Argentines’ strong suits.) The real stars of the Copa América, those who brought the sparkle and flair that make South American football so special, were the Colombians.
In our Copa preview, we demonstrated that Colombia played the most entertaining and attractive football in the competition, and that coffee producers The Colombians lived up to their expectations. Most of the most spectacular plays, the most beautiful goals, the most spectacular passes and the most beautiful collective performances of the summer, whether in the Copa or the Euro, came from the Colombians. James Rodríguez probably had the tournament of his life. With his overflowing talent, he was both the team’s main organizer and its creative pivot, dictating Colombia’s possession from start to finish. He was the rightful winner of the tournament’s Ballon d’Or, which he won thanks to his six assists and his goal, his incalculable influence and his countless moments of genius.
But if Rodríguez was the captain of the ship, his leadership style is thoroughly collaborative. If James has a good game, it is almost by definition that his team has had a good game too, because his approach requires a context that allows him to amplify the talents around him. Manager Néstor Lorenzo’s free-form tactical setup is exactly the kind of context in which James thrives. Lorenzo places his players where they perform best and trusts them to respond and react to the chaos that is a football match with the decisions, moves and solutions they find themselves in the moment. In short, Colombia allows its players to improvise when they step on the pitch. The results, for James and his teammates, are as breathtaking as they are effective.
As expected, James wasn’t the only Colombian to have a great tournament. Midfielder Richard Ríos was the Copa’s biggest revelation, with his energy, defensive commitment, attacking verve and, most importantly, his dribbling. The 24-year-old was actually primarily a futsal player until he caught the eye of Brazilian giants Flamengo at a futsal tournament as an 18-year-old, after which he signed with the club and turned to football. His futsal background was evident in his every move at the Copa, including when he lured several defenders into small phone booths and blasted past them all with consummate ease.
Juan Fernando Quintero, as always on the pitch, has blown everyone away with the breadth of his talent and his inexhaustible creativity. Quintero is in some ways the lost genius of his generation. In terms of pure talent, he sits at the same table as James, Neymar and Eden Hazard. But unlike these peers, Quintero has always lacked the determination and will to do whatever it takes to unleash his talent at the level it deserves. It is no surprise that he almost quit football a decade ago to become a reggaetonero like his childhood friend Maluma, whom he met while they were both at the Atlético Nacional academy. Quintero’s approach to football is very much that of a musical artist, someone who loves the act of playing – the creative thrill it provides and the feeling of uniting with collaborators and fans who uniformly extol his brash, improvisational genius – but who also perhaps doesn’t care all that much about the more quotidian demands that the professionalised industry places between him and what he loves to do.
That being said, Quintero’s career since returning to South America with River Plate in 2017 has had more ups than downs as he has become accustomed to a pace and platform he can live with. Nowhere is his immense talent more evident, if only to be most visible to the rest of the world, than in the moments he has worn the Colombia jersey. Quintero came closest to winning the final for Colombia after coming on as a substitute in extra time, where he produced the two most impressive plays of that game: this incredible little first play…
—and this piece, where he almost single-handedly crosses the entire Argentine defense:
Earlier in the tournament, Quintero was at the heart of the following passing sequence, which, with its speed, fluidity, unbridled inventiveness, technical exuberance and the incorporation of so many members of the team, best sums up what this Colombian team can do and why it is all so incredible to watch:
And let’s not forget the other players who stood out. Crystal Palace duo Daniel Muñoz and Jefferson Lerma were exceptional, shutting down opposition attacks as their defensive positions demanded and scoring two goals each. Jhon Arias, a natural winger, showed his versatility by being one of Colombia’s most consistent contributors playing in central midfield. Davinson Sánchez was, along with Argentina’s Romero, one of the two best centre-backs in the tournament. Even in brief appearances, Luis Sinisterra and Jorge Carrascal showed off their immense attacking talents. Forward Jhon Córdoba facilitated all of his teammates’ great passes by acting as a battering ram up front, freeing up time and space for James and his teammates to work underneath. Surprisingly, Luis Díaz has been relatively quiet throughout the Copa, although his lone attacking performance against the entire Uruguayan defence in the semi-final, after Colombia had gone a man down at half-time, was downright heroic.
That semifinal against Uruguay also showed another reason why it is so easy to root for this Colombia team. After suffering and surviving that grueling match, there was an explosion of emotion from the players. (And also a different kind of explosion from some stupid Colombian fans, but let’s focus on the positive here.) Everyone was sobbing, smiling, laughing, dancing, hugging, congratulating each other and rejoicing for reaching the final for a chance to win what would have been the country’s second Copa America title in history.
As a footballing nation, Colombia is in the second division of South America, behind Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. As a result, the team does not receive the same attention and respect as its opponents, and the same goes for its players, who would probably be more highly regarded and courted by more prestigious clubs if their passports were different. It is in tournaments like this that the Colombians can prove just how good they really are to the world. By reaching the Copa final, especially in light of their impressive run, the Colombians have been able to realize just how good they really are. coffee producers That’s exactly what he did, a feat more than worthy of the celebrations it inspired.
Unfortunately, Colombia could not go on and win the competition, losing in the final to Argentina, a team still recovering from its performance in the previous Copa América. The good news is that the trophy itself was not the only thing at stake. The spectacle put on by the Colombians, the memories they created and the happiness they felt and aroused in the fans and neutral spectators will outlast the pain of the defeat. Plus, there will be an even bigger tournament in two years. I am sure Colombia will be ready for it, and you should be ready for them too.