Atlético Nacional
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| Full name | Corporación Deportiva Atlético Nacional | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Los Verdolagas (The Purslanes), El Verde (The Green), El Verde y Blanco (The Green and White), Rey de Copas (King of Cups) |
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| Founded | 1947 As Atlético Municipal | ||
| Ground | Estadio Atanasio Girardot Medellín, Colombia (Capacity: 52,872) |
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| Chairman |  Juan Carlos De la Cuesta |
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| Manager | Santiago Escobar |
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| League | Fútbol Profesional Colombiano | ||
| 2010-I | 1st | ||
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Corporación Deportiva Atlético Nacional is a Colombian football team based in Medellín. They play their home games at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stadium which also serves as home to Deportivo Independiente Medellín. It is one of the most important clubs in Colombia (with eleven championships won), and an important football club in South America, having won the 1989 Copa Libertadores while making the era of south american football and Colombian football.
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[edit] Overview
The club Unión, now known as Club Atlético Nacional, was founded in 1947 by Luis Alberto Villegas Lopera, Jorge Osorio, Alberto Eastman, Jaime Restrepo, Gilberto Molina, Raúl Zapata Lotero, Jorge Gómez Jaramillo, Arturo Torres Posada and Julio Ortiz. Atlético Nacional was the first Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores de América, which they did in 1989. They were also runners-up in 1995. The winning of this cup was done in a special manner, since all of the team's players were Colombian; thus Atlético Nacional earned the nickname "Puros Criollos" (Pure Colombians).
The team has won the Fútbol Profesional Colombiano eleven times, in 1954, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1991, 1994, 1999 (when there was only one champion per year), 2005, 2007-I, 2007-II, and 2011-I. For fifteen years, from 1989 to 2004, the team was the only Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores (until Once Caldas defeated Boca Juniors). Until 1999, it was the only Colombian team to win any major international tournament (when América de Cali defeated Independiente Santa Fe in the Copa Merconorte). The team is also the only Colombian club to reach the final stage of the Copa Sudamericana, losing against Argentina's San Lorenzo in 2002.
Atlético Nacional has been home to international stars like Faustino Asprilla, René Higuita, Víctor Aristizábal, Andrés Escobar, Iván Córdoba, Leonel Álvarez, Alexis García, Albeiro Usuriaga, Aquivaldo Mosquera, Mauricio Serna, Juan Pablo Ángel and others. The best foreign players in its history include Cesar Cueto and Oscar Rossi. The team is currently owned by Carlos Ardila Lülle of Organización Ardila Lülle, and Jaime Restrepo. Restrepo is the only person remaining from the founders (see above); the others sold their ownership to Carlos Ardila. The team wears green and white vertically striped jerseys. Nacional's mascot is Nacho, a tiger with green and white striped shirt. Nacho was created in 1998. The teams is the only Colombian squad that has successfully won the two domestic short-format tournaments awarded in the year 2007, as well as the only one that has achieved two consecutive titles since the format was changed in 2001. America de Cali also has consecutive titles on 2000 and 2001-I, but the 2000 tournament was held with the long format.
Atlético Nacional has had a long rivalry with Independiente Medellín. When the two teams face each other it is considered one of the most important matches in Colombia. Both teams share the same stadium (Estadio Atanasio Girardot), and both teams have about the same number of fans within the city of Medellín. The rivalry increased in the early 1990's as Independiente Medellín was growing stronger year by year. Currently both teams are considered among the top teams in Colombia. Independiente is sometimes referred to having a Green Star since in the 2004-I tournament they won the only final the two have ever faced. Atlético Nacional has 104 wins over Independiente Medellín, who have 70, with 81 games tied.
[edit] Honours
[edit] National Honours
[edit] International Honours
- Copa Libertadores de América: 14 appearances
- Copa Merconorte: 4 appearances
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- 1998: Winner
- 2000: Winner
- Copa Sudamericana: 4 appearances
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- 2002: Runner-up
- Copa Interamericana: 2 appearances
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- 1990: Winner
- 1995: Winner
- Recopa Sudamericana: 1 appearance
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- 1989: Runners-up
- Intercontinental Cup: 1 appearance
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- 1989: Runners-up
[edit] Players
[edit] Current roster
- Last updated January 6, 2012.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Reserve & Youth Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] 2009 season
[edit] External links
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