Ephrain Juarez will begin a new stage in his career as a technical director and will take the reins of National Athleticone of the historic clubs of Colombia and the most successful in that country. Reinaldo Rueda y Juan Carlos Osorio They are two of the most outstanding technicians who have passed through the green club.
A brief history of Atlético Nacional
Officially founded on April 30, 1947 in Medellín with the name of Municipal Athletic Clubis one of the teams that since the creation of the First Category A of Colombian football has never been relegated; the others are Millionaires e Independent Santa Feboth from Bogotá. It won its first league title in 1954 and since then has 17 league championships, the most in Colombia. It is also the biggest winner of the Cup, with six titles, and of the Merconorte Cup with two crowns.
In its origins it was intended to be a team that played with only Colombian footballers and with that policy they won the Libertadores Cup in 1989. However, from 2004 the door was opened to foreigners with the signing of the Venezuelan Jorge Rojas. And although several foreigners have arrived since then, the club mostly maintains a Colombian base. In the current squad, the only foreigner is the Uruguayan Pablo Ceppelliniwho arrived in January 2024 for a second stage with the Verdolaga club.
Atlético Nacional’s achievements
With 33 championships in different competitions, El Verde is the club with the most titles in Colombian football. They are followed by Millonarios with 21 and America from Cali with 16. The coaches who were crowned the most times with the club were Reinaldo Rueda and Juan Carlos Osorio, each on six occasions.
- 17 leagues: 1954, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2005-I, 2007-I, 2007-II, 2011-I, 2013-I, 2013-II, 2014-I, 2015-II, 2017-I and 2022-I
- Six Colombia Cups: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023
- Three Super Leagues: 2012, 2016 and 2023
- Two Conmebol Libertadores: 1989 and 2016
- Two Merconorte Cups: 1998 and 2000
- Two Inter-American Cups: 1990 and 1997
- A South American Recopa: 2017
Featured Strategists
- Osvaldo ZubeldiaHe is the only strategist with two titles in long tournaments; his legacy transcends the championships, as players such as Hernández Darío Herrera, Pedro Sarmiento, Víctor Luna, Norberto Peluffo and Gabriel Jaime Gómez came from his hand.
- Francisco Maturana: His Atlético Nacional was the first Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores. In addition, his squad was the foundation of the Colombian National Team, which allowed the Cafeteros to qualify for three consecutive World Cups.
- Santiago Escobar: He has had two spells with the Verdolaga institution, with which he won his first star in 2005, with a showy and attractive game. While in 2011 he achieved his second league title.
- Juan Carlos Osorio: With six titles and a runner-up position in the Copa Sudamericana, the ‘Profe’ changed criticism into applause. He won the Superliga and the Cup in 2012; the Apertura, the Finalización and the Cup in 2013, and the Apertura 2014. He had a second stage between 2019 and 2020, without much success.
- Reinaldo Rueda: He gave Atlético its second Copa Libertadores title in 2016, and also won five other titles that confirm him as the team with the best results. He was crowned in the 2015 Finalización; the 2016 Superliga and Copa, in addition to the aforementioned Libertadores, the 2017 Recopa and the 2017 Apertura.
History with foreign technicians
Of the 48 coaches the club has had, 31 were foreigners. However, since 1987, the club has mainly relied on Colombian coaches, so Efraín Juárez would be the tenth foreigner in 47 years, including Oscar Hector QuintabaniArgentine nationalized Colombian.
He was precisely the only one who was able to leave an important legacy, by achieving the bichampionship in the titles of Opening and Closing Ceremony of 2007The rest has not left great impressions or pleasant moments to remember. Reinaldo Merlo He was there in 1999 without any glory, while Ramon Cabrero left the club in last place in 2009.
Juanma Lillo was only there for six months from July to December 2017; while Jorge Almiron In 2018 he lost the BetPlay League Final against Tolima Sports. The Brazilian Paulo Autuori took his place and in his first stage he said goodbye without titles; in 2023 he had his second stage and won the Super League, but lost the League to Millonarios.
Alexandre Guimaraes He arrived in 2021 after being champion with América de Cali, but he could not win anything with the Antioquian team. Another Brazilian, William Amaral He took over the reins of the club in the second half of 2023, after being Autuori’s assistant, but only lasted four months on the bench. The last on the list is Pablo Repettowhose release was announced this week.
Figures and legends of Atlético Nacional
HISTORIC GOAL SCORERS
- Victor Hugo Aristizabal – 208 goals
- John Jairo Tréllez – 131 goals
- Jefferson Duque – 122 goals
- Gustavo Santa – 99 goals
- Humberto Alvarez – 99 goals
- Oswaldo Marcial Palavecino – 84 goals
- Dorlan Pabon – 79 goals
- Hernan Dario Herrera – 73 goals
- Hugo Horacio Lóndero – 73 goals
- Juan Pablo Angel – 72 goals
WALL OF LEGENDS
- Andres Escobar
- Victor Hugo Aristizabal
- Francisco Maturana
- Rene Higuita
- Macnelly Torres
- Reinaldo Rueda
- John Jairo Trellez
- Cesar Cueto
- Alexis Henriquez
- Alexander Mejia
- Humberto Alvarez
- Raul Navarro
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