Daniel Muñoz, from Medellín’s ultras to Colombia’s World Cup revelation | OneFootball

Daniel Muñoz, 30, has emerged as Colombia’s tireless right-back at this World Cup, his late rise rooted in Medellín’s ultras. With Crystal Palace he also lifted the Conference League after a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

He scored in the 3-1 win over Uzbekistan and the 1-0 win against DR Congo, then impressed off the bench in the 0-0 with Portugal. Ghana await in the round of 32 at 3.30am Saturday. According to L'Équipe, his journey has been anything but linear.

As a boy of nine or 10, his first trip to Atanasio Girardot ended with a stolen ring from his grandmother and a friend losing his shoes, yet the pull of Atlético Nacional only grew, its crest now tattooed on his right leg.

From 12 to 15, while at Envigado, he stood with Los del Sur, travelling despite limited means and, even now, sometimes choosing the away end on holiday over hospitality.

Rejected in Spain, Italy, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, he nearly quit at 18 to work in the United States before a visa refusal kept him in Medellín. Total Soccer, an amateur club for late bloomers, provided the reset.

Recast as a right-back, he signed professionally with Águilas Doradas at 20 on 250 euros a month, then stepped up to Atlético Nacional in 2019-2020, KRC Genk from 2020 to 2024 and Palace in January 2024. Jamie Carragher has called him the Premier League’s best full-back, while mentor Juan Gabriel Sepulveda says he plays with a supporter’s passion.

Source: L'Équipe