Gustavo Puerta, from childhood shooting to Colombia's World Cup linchpin | OneFootball

Gustavo Puerta has led Colombia’s midfield at this World Cup and is set to face Switzerland in the last 16 on Tuesday at 22:00. He has started all four matches.

According to L'Équipe, the 22-year-old survived a stray 9mm shot in La Victoria on 28 February 2014 while running an errand for his father. Surgeons deemed removal too risky, so he lived with the bullet in his left thigh for four years.

Viewed as talented yet overlooked in his teens, he left for Bogota at 17 and turned professional at 18. Coaches hail a combative, disciplined all-rounder, and one former boss likened him to a blend of Steven Gerrard and Xavi, saying he could suit Real Madrid, Barcelona or PSG.

Now at Racing de Santander, newly promoted to La Liga after spells with Nuremberg, Bayer Leverkusen and Hull City, Puerta has 10 caps and one goal, his debut coming in November. In the 1-0 win over Ghana in the last 32, he anchored the double pivot in Néstor Lorenzo’s 4-2-3-1, impressing Héctor Cardenas, who felt only a goal was missing.

Friends say he transforms in the national shirt and this feels like the start. His father recalls he returned to training two weeks after the bullet was removed at 14, despite medical and parental advice.

Source: L'Équipe