Which Colombia team is better: 1990 or 2014?

Colombia’s James Rodriguez (left) celebrates next to teammate Juan Cuadrado after scoring against Ivory Coast.

DPA/Sao Paulo, Brazil

After Colombia managed to reach the last 16 of the World Cup for a second time, it was inevitable to compare this current side with the one of 1990.

Until now, it was assumed that the 1990 team was the best Colombian side ever, thanks to the clever guidance of Francisco Maturana and his assistant Hernan Dario Gomez.

“Today’s team has something very important, something we had in the 1990s, and that is friendship. In today’s team, if one of them gets kicked then it hurts all of them. They are vert united, they are like a work of art,” said Maturana.

The generation of Carlos Valderrama, Rene Higuita, Leonel Alvarez, Freddy Rincon, Adolfo Valencia and Faustino Asprilla, managed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups, in 1990, 1994 and 1998.

Back then, Colombian players were not sought after in foreign leagues and in 1990 the only player plying his trade abroad was Valderrama, for Montpellier in France.

Maturana - who is fondly thought of in his country - points out that the present generation is stronger than the 1990s group because they have more experience of playing abroad.

Luis Fernando Suarez, the Colombian coach of Honduras at this World Cup, also considers the international experience of the present Colombian players as a factor in their success.

“The backbone of the 1990 team was the Atletico Nacional de Medellin team, which won the Copa Libertadores, with Maturana as coach. He added to this base some players from other clubs but the playing style was that of Atletico Nacional. That meant there was not so much improvisation in certain moments,” Suarez told German press agency dpa. 

The 1990s generation reached its peak in the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup with a memorable 5-0 defeat of Argentina in Buenos Aires, but collapsed thanks to poor performances at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

After several years of failure, Colombian football recovered thanks to the emergence of the likes of David Ospina, Cristian Zapata, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, James Rodriguez, Teofilo Gutierrez and Radamel Falcao.

Maturana is not jealous that the present team might be considered better than his. After seeing the victories over Greece and Ivory Coast, he is quick to heap praise on current coach Jose Pekerman.

Valderrama, Rincon and Asprilla, who are working as analysts for Colombian and international media, agree that the current team is playing well - though they add that they could play even better.

“I am convinced we have a good team but I also say we could give a little bit more. Let’s hope the performances continue to be strong and we go as far as possible,” wrote Valderrama in his column in El Heraldo of Barranquilla.

The passion provoked by the current team is seen in Rincon more than anyone. The former midfielder shouted Colombia’s goals against Ivory Coast so loudly that he drowned out the poor commentator.