Iván Córdoba
Info:"Not just the quickest defender in South America, he's the quickest defender in the world." Thus said Oscar Ruggeri, Iván Córdoba's coach at the Argentinian side San Lorenzo de Almagro. Córdoba's performances for the club helped secure his €16m transfer to Internazionale FC in January 2000 - a move which made up for the disappointment of his omission from the Colombia squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. At Inter, Córdoba has gone on to become one of Serie A's most consistent, and toughest, practitioners of the defensive arts. And with his pace, he is not slow at coming forward either, although he had to wait until his third season with the club to score his first goal for them. Overall, the 2001/02 season brought only frustration, however, as Inter lost out on the league title on the last day, as well as in the UEFA Cup semi-finals. Once a target of Real Madrid CF, Córdoba started out with his hometown club, Atlético Nacional de Medellín, where he spent two seasons in the mid-1990s.
Motivation:
after being left out of the Colombia squad for 98. He made up with this by taking his side to victory in the Controversial Copa America of 2001. Being the captain and having scored some crucial goals. Prooved his qualties as one of the greates, however his fierce south America defending can sometimes result in strong but careless tackles. Alotugh he loves to come forward he still lacks a lot when it comes to crossing and dribbling...