Colombia 2014 FIFA World Cup Squad: Player-by-Player Guide
On Tuesday, Colombia national team coach Jose Pekerman named his preliminary 30-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as per El Tiempo (in Spanish) and FIFA.com.
There were no huge surprises in his selection. The majority of those chosen were involved in the qualification process and have already established their credentials.
The inclusions of young River Plate defender Eder Alvarez Balanta and inconsistent yet talented Porto attacking midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero are perhaps the most unexpected.
Radamel Falcao Garcia has been named but is still undergoing his recovery from knee ligament surgery. Colombia's top scorer during qualifying, as per Soccerway, will have to prove his fitness prior to Pekerman's election of his final, 23-man squad.
Here is our player-by-player guide to Colombia's preliminary World Cup squad.
Goalkeepers
Name: David Ospina
Date of Birth: 31/08/1988
Birthplace: Medellin, Colombia
Position: Goalkeeper
Caps: 42
Club: Nice
Name: Faryd Mondragon
Date of Birth: 21/06/1971
Birthplace: Cali, Colombia
Position: Goalkeeper
Caps: 54
Club: Deportivo Cali
Name: Camilo Vargas
Date of Birth: 01/09/1989
Birthplace: Bogota, Colombia
Position: Goalkeeper
Caps: 0
Club: Santa Fe
Defenders
Name: Aquivaldo Mosquera
Date of Birth: 22/06/1981
Birthplace: Apartado, Colombia
Position: Centre-back
Caps: 30
Club: Club America
Name: Carlos Valdes
Date of Birth: 22/05/1985
Birthplace: Cali, Colombia
Position: Centre-back
Caps: 12
Club: San Lorenzo
Name: Cristian Zapata
Date of Birth: 30/09/1986
Birthplace: Padilla, Colombia
Position: Centre-back
Caps: 20
Club: AC Milan
Name: Eder Alvarez Balanta
Date of Birth: 28/03/1993
Birthplace: Bogota, Colombia
Position: Centre-back
Caps: 1
Club: River Plate
Name: Luis Amaranto Perea
Date of Birth: 30/01/1979
Birthplace: Turbo, Colombia
Position: Centre-back
Caps: 75
Club: Cruz Azul
Name: Mario Yepes
Date of Birth: 13/01/1976
Birthplace: Cali, Colombia
Position: Centre-back
Caps: 95
Club: Atalanta
Name: Juan Camilo Zuniga
Date of Birth: 14/12/1985
Birthplace: Chigorodo, Colombia
Position: Full-back
Caps: 51
Club: Napoli
Name: Pablo Armero
Date of Birth: 02/11/1986
Birthplace: Tumaco, Colombia
Position: Full-back
Caps: 50
Club: Napoli
Name: Santiago Arias
Date of Birth: 13/01/1992
Birthplace: Medellin, Colombia
Position: Full-back
Caps: 4
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Name: Juan Cuadrado
Date of Birth: 26/05/1988
Birthplace: Necocli, Colombia
Position: Full-back / Winger
Caps: 26
Club: Fiorentina
Midfielders
Name: Alexander Mejia
Date of Birth: 07/09/1988
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Caps: 8
Club: Atletico Nacional
Name: Carlos Sanchez
Date of Birth: 06/02/1986
Birthplace: Quibdo, Colombia
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Caps: 43
Club: Elche
Name: Edwin Valencia
Date of Birth: 29/03/1985
Birthplace: Florida, Colombia
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Caps: 12
Club: Fluminense
Name: Elkin Soto
Date of Birth: 04/08/1980
Birthplace: Manizales, Colombia
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Caps: 25
Club: Mainz
Name: Abel Aguilar
Date of Birth: 06/01/1985
Birthplace: Bogota, Colombia
Position: Central Midfielder
Caps: 47
Club: Toulouse
Name: Fredy Guarin
Date of Birth: 30/06/1986
Birthplace: Puerto Boyaca, Colombia
Position: Central Midfielder
Caps: 48
Club: Internazionale
Name: Aldo Leao Ramirez
Date of Birth: 18/04/1981
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Colombia
Position: Central Midfielder / Attacking Midfielder
Caps: 29
Club: Morelia
Name: Macnelly Torres
Date of Birth: 01/11/1984
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Position: Central Midfielder / Attacking Midfielder
Caps: 39
Club: Al-Shabab
Name: Juan Fernando Quintero
Date of Birth: 18/01/1993
Birthplace: Medellin, Colombia
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Caps: 3
Club: FC Porto
Name: James Rodriguez
Date of Birth: 12/07/1991
Birthplace: Cucuta, Colombia
Position: Attacking Midfielder / Winger
Caps: 21
Club: Monaco
Forwards
Name: Adrian Ramos
Date of Birth: 22/01/1986
Birthplace: Santander de Quilichao, Colombia
Position: Forward
Caps: 23
Club: Hertha Berlin
Name: Victor Ibarbo
Date of Birth: 19/05/1990
Birthplace: Tumaco, Colombia
Position: Winger / Forward
Caps: 7
Club: Cagliari
Name: Carlos Bacca
Date of Birth: 08/09/1986
Birthplace: Puerto Colombia, Colombia
Position: Striker
Caps: 9
Club: Sevilla
Name: Jackson Martinez
Date of Birth: 03/10/1986
Birthplace: Quibdo, Colombia
Position: Striker
Caps: 26
Club: FC Porto
Name: Luis Muriel
Date of Birth: 18/04/1991
Birthplace: Santo Tomas, Colombia
Position: Striker
Caps: 5
Club: Udinese
Name: Radamel Falcao Garcia
Date of Birth: 10/02/1986
Birthplace: Santa Marta, Colombia
Position: Striker
Caps: 51
Club: Monaco
Name: Teofilo Gutierrez
Date of Birth: 28/05/1985
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
Position: Striker
Caps: 28
Club: River Plate