Once again, the debate over the greatest Colombian soccer players in history has ignited. When it came to making a choice, James Rodriguez selected himself alongside Radamel Falcao as the two most outstanding footballers of all time in Colombia. These words reached the ears of Faustino ‘El Tino’ Asprilla, who didn’t hesitate to respond to Colombia’s number ’10’.
James was on Twitch with the streamer ‘Pelicanger’ when he was asked if Falcao Garcia was among the best players in Colombia’s history, and his response sparked discussion. “He’s up there with me,” Rodriguez affirmed before dismissing Carlos Valderrama.
“Many people say Falcao, many people say ‘El Pibe’, many people say me, but I consider myself to be in the Top-2. Yes, for sure,” James Rodriguez stated. ‘Pelicanger’ then asked him: “Who would be the Top-1, ‘El Pibe’?” To which the current captain of the Colombian national team gave a firm “no.”
The name of Radamel Falcao Garcia came up, and James approved: “Between Falcao and me. The thing is, Falcao and I are like brothers.” A new sports controversy erupted, and the old guard of the Colombian national team stepped forward with strong messages from Faustino Asprilla and Victor Hugo Aristizabal.
‘El Tino’ Asprilla, now a panelist on ESPN Colombia programs, began responding to James Rodriguez by saying that “the history of Colombian soccer is very rich” and when pressed to name the best player in Colombia’s history, he surprised everyone by saying it was “Willington Ortiz.”
Asprilla responds to James for claiming to be one of the best Colombians in history
“That doesn’t keep me up at night. Everyone was very good in their era because you have to consider if James would have played in our time. Let me tell you something, if it was difficult for someone like Victor Aristizabal, who was a top scorer, to be sold, it’s because back then only three South American (foreign) players were allowed per team, and Brazilians, Argentinians, and Uruguayans were always prioritized over us. So, many Colombian players would have easily gone to play in Europe during this era. That changed. Therefore, I consider what I did in my career to be very important for me, my family, and those who watched me play,” was Faustino Asprilla’s response on the ESPN F360 program to Rodriguez’s statements.
Aristizabal ranks James as fourth among the best Colombian players in history
After clarifying that James Rodriguez and Falcao Garcia are in the top two places if we are talking about the most important player in terms of achievements, Victor Hugo Aristizabal gave his Top-5 of the best Colombian soccer players of all time. “For me, the first is Faustino (Asprilla) and no one beats him. The second is ‘El Pibe’ (Valderrama), the third is Freddy Rincon, the fourth is James, and the fifth is Falcao. Those are my five,” stated the former Colombian forward.
