Five Colombian Coaches who have Qualified for the World Cup
These DTs with an extensive curriculum are part of the lucky ones to have qualified for a FIFA World Cup, several of them, with different national teams.
These are five coaches who have not only left their mark on their homeland, but have also managed in other countries and have managed to achieve the long-awaited qualification to the most important tournament of nations in football. Photo: IG-jorgelpintoa, IG-oficialreinaldorueda
LatinAmerican Post | Nicolás Donoso Álvarez
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Leer en español: Cinco entrenadores colombianos que han clasificado al mundial de fútbol
Every four years the world comes to a complete standstill with the realization of the Soccer World Cup, one of the most important sporting events that brings together the best teams from each continent, the biggest stars in soccer and many of the most valued coaches and with experience in this sport.
The Colombian team has managed to qualify for six of the twenty-one editions that have been disputed throughout history, its best performance being the quarterfinals that it reached at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with Argentine José Pékerman as coffee coach. The same Pekerman would classify Colombia again to a world championship four years later, but, staying out in the round of 16, after losing on penalties to England.
Other Colombian coaches have had as much or more success in the top World Cup events, qualifying for a World Cup either with Colombia or with other Latin American teams on one or more occasions.
Read also: Luis Díaz: the next James Rodríguez
For this reason, in this list we will show you five coaches who have not only left their mark on their homeland, but have also managed in other countries and have achieved the long-awaited qualification to the most important tournament of soccer nations.
La @FenafuthOrg le da la bienvenida al nuevo D.T de la selección nacional de #Honduras ????????.
Desde #Colombia???????? el tres veces mundialista ????????, ???????? y ????????, ???????? : HERNÁN DARÍO GÓMEZ.#Honduras???????? y su afición le extienden la bienvenida ????????????????#FENAFUTH #HONDURAS #Catar2022 pic.twitter.com/19NqnlYT6T
— Selección Nacional de Honduras (@FenafuthOrg) October 16, 2021
Hernán Darío Gómez
The "Bolillo Gómez" has a more than outstanding career being in charge of national teams, directing countries such as Colombia, Ecuador (these two in more than one opportunity), Guatemala and Panama, and managing to classify three different teams to a World Cup, something that very few coaches in the world can boast about. His first classification was achieved in 1998, leading Colombia to the event that took place in France; four years later, he made history by taking Ecuador to his first world championship and would replicate it sixteen years later with another team, when he marked a milestone by getting Panama to play the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Recently, "Bolillo Gómez" has been confirmed as the new coach of Honduras, replacing the Uruguayan Fabián Coito, and will have the difficult task of amending the course of a team that in the current octagonal has three draws and three defeats in six games .
Jorge Luis Pinto
In Costa Rica, the name of Jorge Luis Pinto must be widely remembered, as the Sangileño not only led the Ticos to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but also wrote golden pages by taking Costa Rica to the quarterfinals and finish the tournament undefeated.
It should be noted that the Central Americans had never reached this stage in their entire World Cup adventure, and that Pinto became the DT born in Colombia who has gone the furthest in a championship of this level with a national team. Being the most remarkable of all that he had to face the so-called "group of death" in the first phase, leading the area over Uruguay, Italy and England and then in the round of 16 beating Greece on penalties, to later say goodbye against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, in penalty shootout.
Un abrazo del alma: Chicharito Hernández y Juan Carlos Osorio no ocultaron su felicidad luego del histórico triunfo de México sobre Alemania. ¡La primera victoria del Tri ante los Teutones en una Copa del Mundo! pic.twitter.com/3OTUh4Hu7d
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) June 17, 2018
Juan Carlos Osorio
Studious, methodical and highly applied, Juan Carlos Osorio arrived with that description to lead the Mexican national team after his great step as club coach, and although with the "Aztecs" he had more than one controversy, he managed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia without major shocks.
Achieving a historic victory against Germany on the first day 1-0 after a tactical approach to the match that was practically perfect, and that seemed to mean that Mexico was about to reach the much-anticipated fifth game. However, that dream would fade after the 2-0 loss to Brazil in the round of 16; which would not erase the magnitude of the victory won against the powerful German team.
Luis Fernando Suárez
At 61 years old, Luis Fernando Suárez can boast of having directed in six different countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Mexico and currently in Costa Rica), and in the vast majority he has left a good impression or results that people do not necessarily expected.
Regarding his World Cup experience, Suárez took Ecuador to the 2006 World Cup in Germany and managed to get the "tricolor" to qualify for the round of 16 of a world cup in an unprecedented way; taking Honduras to the event eight years later and currently looking to be for the third time in a world championship, this time with Costa Rica.
Reinaldo Rueda
The one who seeks to reach Qatar in 2022 and certify his third presence in a World Cup is Reinaldo Rueda, the current Colombian coach previously directed Chile in the initial part of these qualifiers, but now he wants to take his country to the big event.
Rueda's curriculum is extensive both at the club and senior team level, and among the highlights in national teams stands out returning Honduras to a World Cup after 28 long years of absence (he qualified for South Africa 2010) and making Ecuador will play his third World Cup in Brazil 2014.
It should be noted that, in addition to the five coaches mentioned above in this list, the historical coach Francisco Maturana has also achieved qualifications for a world cup on more than one occasion with Colombia (Italy 1990 and United States 1994).
