Gustavo Puerta’s rise from childhood shooting to lead Colombia’s midfield at the World Cup | OneFootball

Gustavo Puerta has emerged as Colombia’s midfield leader at this World Cup, an ascent shaped by survival and resolve. He faces Switzerland in the last 16 on Tuesday at 22:00.

L'Équipe reports that the 22-year-old has started all four of Colombia’s matches and has been relentless since the tournament began.

The story began in La Victoria on 28 February 2014, around 14:00, when two gunmen targeted a man nearby and a 9mm stray round pierced Puerta’s left leg. Surgeons halted the bleeding but judged removal too risky, so he lived four years with the lead lodged in his thigh, usually without pain except in the cold.

Once dismissed by some as a chubby kid who loved arepas, he and his family kept faith. He joined Bogota at 17 and turned professional at 18. Right-footed and 1.73m, 70kg, former coaches praise his blend of technique, discipline and bite, describing a complete midfielder who balances attack and defence.

Now at Racing de Santander, newly promoted to La Liga after spells at Nuremberg, Bayer Leverkusen and Hull City, Puerta has 10 caps and 1 goal. His display in the 1-0 win over Ghana in the round of 32, anchoring Néstor Lorenzo’s 4-2-3-1, impressed former U20 coach Héctor Cárdenas, who felt only a goal was missing.

Friends say he transforms in the national shirt and that interest is growing, according to his entourage. Two weeks after having the bullet finally removed at 14, he was already back in training, a habit of defying limits that still defines him.

Source: L'Équipe