Andrés Escobar was a Colombian footballer who played as a defender. He participated in matches for the Colombian national team, BSC Young Boys, and Atlético Nacional. He was referred to as "The Gentleman" because of his tidy play and composure on the pitch. Having managed to finish first in their qualification group, Colombia was considered one of the favorites to win the World Cup in 1994.
They defeated Argentina 5-0 during their outstanding qualifying, and Brazilian icon Pele predicted they would be the team to beat. The Colombian team entered the competition full of hope and excitement, carrying the hopes of the whole country on their shoulders.
However, their 1994 campaign was a complete failure because of defender Andrés Escobar's early own goal, their elimination at the conclusion of the group stages, and Escobar's subsequent murder outside a Colombian nightclub.
Video: Andres Escobar own goal
Escobar scored an own goal in the 2-1 loss to the United States in 1994 world cup, and it was said that members of a strong drug gang in Colombia had bet a significant amount of money on that specific game. After the team's defeat, there was criticism at home, but Escobar disregarded advice from friends to keep quiet until it subsided.
"I must show my face to my people," Escobar said.
He was assassinated while in his automobile outside a bar in Medellin, Colombia, five days after the early departure. The defender was shot six times, and it was later discovered that after each shot Escobar's murderers screamed "Goal!" in retaliation for the match commentator's use of the same phrase during the live broadcast of the game.
A day after the event, Humberto Castro Munoz, one of the drug lords' bodyguards, was detained and admitted to killing the victim. 120,000 people reportedly attended Escobar's funeral.
However, Francisco Maturana, his previous coach, insisted that Escobar's murder had nothing to do with football or the World Cup and was instead the result of him being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" at a turbulent period in Colombian history.
The Andrés Escobar Project was started by Escobar's family to teach underprivileged kids how to play football after he passed away. A monument of Escobar was unveiled in the city of Medellin before Colombia's 2001 Copa América hosting.
Andres Escobar stats:
Team | Appearances | Goals |
Atlético Nacional | 124 | 4 |
BSC Young Boys | 20 | 0 |
América de Cali | 23 | 1 |
Colombia | 51 | 1 |
