Life after narco-football: Atletico Nacional finding success without Pablo Escobar
When Atletico Nacional became the first Colombian club to conquer the Copa Libertadores in 1989, the convergence of two factors was responsible for the historic triumph. First of all, the club boasted an exceptionally strong team, the obvious and necessary ingredient for any side wanting to win South America's most prestigious competition. The other element was the necessary money to keep its best players.
Prior to 1989, Colombian football was, more or less, nonexistent. No club from Colombia had won anything outside Colombia. The country, simply put, wasn't able to produce teams that could compete on the international level. So, when everyone suddenly knew about Nacional, people were suspicious about how the club rose so fast.
The answer: Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
Escobar used Nacional as a means of money laundering. Ticket sales were all cash, allowing him to falsely declare revenue. The introduction of drug money allowed the club to keep its best players from leaving, and its level of play took off.
The era of narco-football, however, is very much a thing of the past.
Escobar was shot dead on a barrio rooftop in 1993, and his death marked the end of the glory years of Colombian football. Beginning in 1994, Colombia's government waged a ruthless campaign to weed criminals out of the sport. The money dried up and the stimulus was gone. The country could no longer bring in foreign trainers or afford to pay its top players, and Nacional, along with all the other clubs backed by drug money, receded into a shell of its former self.
Fast forward to 2016.
No longer fuelled by Escobar, Nacional is within touching distance of winning the Copa Libertadores once again, preparing for its tie against Rosario Central in the quarter-finals of this year's edition. The club advanced from the group stage with the best record of any team after kicking off the tournament, as Tim Vickery of ESPN FC wrote, "like an express train, stringing together five consecutive victories without conceding a single goal."
Atletico is blessed with a squad that can make a case for being the strongest in South America. Most notably, the club may possess the future of Colombia's national team in Marlos Moreno, a 19-year-old who is oozing potential, and whose versatility is no longer a secret.
Most notably, Atletico may possess the future of Colombia's national team in Marlos Moreno, a 19-year-old who is oozing potential, and whose versatility is no longer a secret.
Under Rueda, a youth development specialist, Moreno is evolving into - if he hasn't already - South America's most promising youngster. An ideal mix of pace, skill, and mobility, the teenager can beat his opponent on either side in a one-on-one situation, can take out a defensive line with one pass, and can hit the target from anywhere on the pitch. He is also mature beyond his years, as his instinct to play collectively isn't representative of the typical South American adolescent.
Whereas Nacional may have been able to keep a player of Moreno's quality during the epoch of narco-football, the club will inevitably be forced to sell such talent to the highest bidder sooner rather than later. This is the price of success in South America and particularly in Colombia, where drug money is no longer the lifeblood of clubs.
Samuel Eladio Tamayo, Moreno's agent, said Wednesday that Internazionale is in contact with Nacional regarding a bid, while Bayer Leverkusen, FC Porto, and Benfica are all interested in the player as well. In other words, Nacional is likely already preparing for life without its virtuoso.
If Nacional can replicate its glory from 1989 and win the Copa Libertadores for a second time, it would be an achievement that is hard to put into words. Not only would there be no need for an asterisk beside the accomplishment, but it would illustrate that international success, albeit for a short period of time, can be attained by Colombian clubs without drug money.