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Andrés Escobar

For the Colombian player born in 1991, see Andrés Ramiro Escobar. For the Colombian player born in 1987, see Pablo Andrés Escobar.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Escobar and the second or maternal family name is Saldarriaga.

Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈdɾes eskoˈβaɾ saldaˈrjaɣa]; 13 March 1967 – 2 July 1994)[1] was a Colombian professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played for Atlético Nacional, BSC Young Boys, and the Colombia national team.[2] Nicknamed The Gentleman, he was known for his clean style of play and calmness on the pitch.[3]

Andrés Escobar
Escobar with Colombia at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, ten days before he was murdered
Personal information
Full name Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga
Date of birth (1967-03-13)13 March 1967
Place of birth Medellín, Colombia
Date of death 2 July 1994(1994-07-02) (aged 27)
Place of death Medellín, Colombia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
1985–1986 Atlético Nacional
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1989 Atlético Nacional 78 (0)
1989–1990 Young Boys 8 (0)
1990–1994 Atlético Nacional 144 (0)
Total 230 (0)
International career
1988–1994 Colombia 51 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

On 2 July 1994, Escobar was murdered in the aftermath of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, reportedly as retaliation for having scored an own goal which contributed to Colombia's elimination from the tournament.[4] His murder further tarnished the image of the country internationally.[5] Escobar himself had worked to promote a more positive image of Colombia, earning acclaim in the country.[6]

Escobar is still held in high regard by Colombian fans, and is especially mourned and remembered by Atlético Nacional's fans.[7]

Early life

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Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga was born in Medellín on 13 March 1967. He grew up in a middle-class family.[8] He attended Colegio Calasanz and graduated from Instituto Conrado González. He participated in school football teams before becoming a professional football player.[9]

His father is Darío Escobar, a banker who founded an organization that gives young people the opportunity to play football instead of being on the streets. His brother, Santiago, is a former footballer who played alongside Andrés at Atlético Nacional before moving into team management in 1998.

Career

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Escobar was a defender throughout his career. His jersey number was 2, and he was known by the nicknames "El Caballero del Fútbol" ("The Gentleman of Football") and "The Immortal Number 2". In his club career, he played for Colombian club Atlético Nacional and Swiss club Young Boys.[10] He helped Nacional to win the 1989 Copa Libertadores.[11]

Prior to the 1994 World Cup, Escobar was reported to have been offered a contract by AC Milan.[12][13][14]

International career

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Escobar in 1990

He made his debut for the Colombia national team on 30 March 1988, in a 3–0 win against Canada. His first appearance in an international competition took place at the 1988 Rous Cup, where he also scored the only goal of his career in a 1–1 draw against England.

He played four matches at the 1989 Copa América when he was 22 years old. The team was eliminated in the first round of the tournament. The same year, he also played in 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. The team finished as winners of Group 2, though had to enter the inter-confederation play-offs, where they beat Israel 1–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Escobar played in all of his country's matches during the World Cup as they reached the round of 16, being eliminated after a 2–1 loss to Cameroon.

Escobar was called up for the 1991 Copa América squad, where he made seven appearances. He did not participate in any games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, but he was called up for the World Cup.[13]

Own goal incident and subsequent murder

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Escobar's own goal occurred in Colombia's second group match against host nation the United States during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Stretching to block a cross from American midfielder John Harkes, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. This gave the U.S. a 1–0 lead and they ended up defeating Colombia 2–1.[15] This meant that in order to advance to the next round, Colombia needed to defeat Switzerland in their final group match and also needed the United States to defeat Romania in order to have a chance at advancing. Colombia would defeat Switzerland 2-0 but Romania's 1–0 victory over the United States meant they would be eliminated from the tournament anyways.[16]

After the tournament, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11] On the evening of 1 July 1994, five days after the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns.[17] Escobar was shot six times with a .38 caliber pistol.[9] It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot, once for each time a football commentator had said it during the broadcast.[18] The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.[17][19][20]

The murder was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal.[21] In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the World Cup's Round of 16 match between Argentina and Romania that "The Argentine defender warrants shooting for a mistake like that," on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.[22]

Escobar's funeral was attended by more than 120,000 people. Every year people honour Escobar by bringing photographs of him to matches. In July 2002, the city of Medellín unveiled a statue in honour of his memory.[23]

Humberto Castro Muñoz, a drug cartel bodyguard in Colombia, was arrested on the night of 2 July 1994, confessing the next day to the killing of Escobar.[24] Castro also worked as a driver for Santiago Gallón, who had allegedly lost heavily betting on the outcome of the game.[25] He was found guilty of Escobar's murder in June 1995. He was sentenced to 43 years in prison. The sentence was later reduced to 26 years because of his submitting to the ruling penal code in 2001.[clarification needed] Castro was released on good behaviour due to further reductions from prison work and study in 2005. His three accomplices were acquitted.[26]

There are also allegations that the Gallón brothers bribed the Prosecutor's Office to redirect the investigation towards Castro as the triggerman – and the Prosecutor's Office contends that Castro was simply following orders from the Gallón brothers – but prosecutors lacked credible evidence to convict them. Pamela Cascardo, Escobar's girlfriend at the time of the murder, believes that the accusation of the Gallón brothers' bribery of government officials is supported by Castro's having killed a national celebrity and serving only 11 years in prison.

In 2013, Francisco Maturana, a former coach of Escobar's, denied that his murder had any connection to football or the World Cup, but rather was due to being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" at a violent time in Colombia's history.[27]

Legacy

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Escobar's murder tarnished the image of Colombia internationally.[5] Escobar himself had worked to promote a more positive image of Colombia, earning acclaim within the country.

Escobar is still held in high regard by Colombian fans, and is especially mourned and remembered by Atlético Nacional's fans. In a newspaper column published shortly before his killing, he said of Colombia's World Cup, "It’s been a most amazing and rare experience. We’ll see each other again soon because life does not end here."[4][28]

After Escobar's death, his family founded the Andrés Escobar Project to help disadvantaged children learn to play football.[29] Prior to the 2001 Copa América hosted by Colombia, the city of Medellín unveiled a statue of Escobar.[30]

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In 1997, Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real aired an episode based on the assassination entitled "Holocausto". This episode is now considered lost media.

In 2010, a documentary film titled The Two Escobars was released as a part of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series. It was directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, which looked back at Andrés Escobar's death, Colombia's 1994 World Cup run and the relationship between association football and the country's criminal gangs, notably the Medellín Cartel run by Pablo Escobar (unrelated to Andrés).[31][32]

In 2022, Netflix released a mini-series titled Goles en contra based on his life.[33]

Personal life

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Prior to his death, Escobar was engaged to his girlfriend for five years, a dentist named Pamela Cascardo. They would have been married later in 1994.[34] Escobar was a devout Catholic and would go to Mass every day before school with his mother until her death at the age of 52.[35]

Career statistics

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Club

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This table is incomplete, thus some stats and totals could be incorrect.

Club performance League Cup Continental Other Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Colombia League Cup South America Other[n 1] Total
1986 Atlético Nacional Campeonato Profesional 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1987 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 0
1988 42 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 0
1989[n 2] 12 0 0 0 1+ 1 1 0 14 1
1990 Atlético Nacional Categoría Primera A 26 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 26 0
1991 37 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 46 0
1992 49 0 0 0 3+ 2 0 0 52 2
1993 21 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 23 0
1994 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Total Colombia 222 0 0 0 15 3 1 0 238 3
Career total 222 0 0 0 15 3 1 0 238 3

International

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International appearances

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Team Year Apps Goals
Colombia 1988 6 1
1989 16 0
1990 5 0
1991 8 0
1992 2 0
1993 1 0
1994 13 0
Total 51 1

International goals

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International goals
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 May 1988 Wembley Stadium, London, England   England 1–1 1–1 1988 Rous Cup

Honours

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Atlético Nacional

Notes

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  1. ^ Includes Intercontinental Cup.
  2. ^ This season was cancelled before ending, however, the appearances and goals are counted for statistical reasons.

References

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  1. ^ Varsky, Alejandro (4 July 2014). "Twenty years without Escobar" (PDF). The Weekly. FIFA: 31. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Andrés Escobar's profile". Footballzz.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. ^ EL DÍA QUE NOS ARREBATARON AL CABALLERO ANDRÉS
  4. ^ a b Glendenning, Barry (25 March 2014). "World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No7: Andrés Escobar's deadly own goal". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b Sobral, Vitor (14 February 2014). "Ivory Coast, Colombia keen to shake up World Cup order | SBS News". Sbs.com.au. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Los Dos Escobar - The Two Escobars". 3 October 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2014 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Inmortal: El fútbol colombiano recuerda a Andrés Escobar en el día de su cumpleaños
  8. ^ Almond, Elliott (3 July 1994). "World Cup USA '94: Unforgivable". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Andres Escobar" (in Spanish). LoPaisa.com. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Andrés Escobar's profile". Worldfootball.net. 2 July 2014.
  11. ^ a b Bonk, Thomas (3 July 1994). "Fallen Star Happiest at Home in Medellin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Los Dos Escobar - The Two Escobars". 3 October 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2014 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ a b Glendenning, Barry (3 April 2018). "World Cup stunning moments: Andrés Escobar's deadly own goal | Barry Glendenning". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  14. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (2 July 2014). "World Cup 2014: Family of Andres Escobar to attend Colombia-Brazil game 20 years after his murder" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  15. ^ "World Cup stunning moments: Andrés Escobar's deadly own goal". The Guardian. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  16. ^ Gill, Stephen (9 May 2018). "Colombia's 1994 World Cup". Colombia Reports. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b "The Case of the Fatal Goal". Time. 11 July 1994. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  18. ^ "CNNSI.com World Cup Hall of Fame – Andrés Escobar". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  19. ^ "Gunmen Killed Player Who Erred". Orlando Sentinel. 3 July 1994. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  20. ^ "World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No7: Andrés Escobar's deadly own goal". The Guardian. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  21. ^ Drezner, Daniel (4 June 2006). "The Soccer Wars". The Washington Post. p. B01.
  22. ^ Weaver, Paul (1 April 2001). "World Cup can wait – Sven has an election to win". The Guardian. London.
  23. ^ "The Own Goal that Meant a Death Sentence". Marca (in Spanish). Spain. 6 July 1994. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  24. ^ Ambrus, Steven (4 July 1994). "Mourning Fills Colombia : Shooting: Alleged gunman arrested in slaying of Escobar as nation tries to come to terms with latest violence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  25. ^ "3 Who Argued With Escobar Face Weapons, Drug Charges". Los Angeles Times. 6 July 1994. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  26. ^ "Témoignage. Il y a vingt ans, Andrés Escobar assassiné pour un but contre son camp". courrierinternational.com (in French). 2 July 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  27. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup - News - Maturana: Andres' death was nothing to do with sport". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
  28. ^ Davison, Phil (4 July 1994). "Medellin mourns its murdered sports star". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.
  29. ^ Darling, Juanita (17 July 1998). "In Memory of Slain Soccer Player, Boys Set Their Goals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  30. ^ "Atlético Nacional le rindió un homenaje a Andrés Escobar" (in Spanish). El Universo. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  31. ^ Hinckley, David (21 June 2010). "'Two Escobars' draws parallel between football star Andrés Escobar's murder, drug lord Pablo Escobar". Daily News. New York. p. 2. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  32. ^ Riley, Daniel (21 June 2010). "Remember The Colombian Soccer Player Who Got Killed After Scoring An Own Goal? Well, They Made An Incredible Documentary About Him and Pablo Escobar". GQ. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  33. ^ "'Goles en contra', una serie sobre fútbol y violencia | Radiónica". Radiónica. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  34. ^ "El mártir del autogol". Semana (in Spanish). 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  35. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (2 July 2014). "Andrés Escobar murder: Colombia prepare for biggest ever World Cup match on 20th anniversary of death". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  36. ^ "Andrés Escobar's profile". BDFA.
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