With Colombia and Poland goalless at Kazan Arena in the second round of Group H games at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™, Juan Fernando “Juanfer” Quintero shaped to unleash a fierce left-footed strike from the right-hand corner of the box. But instead, Quintero slipped a deft reverse pass to James Rodriguez, who clipped a first-time ball into the six-yard box, and Yerry Mina buried a header to break the deadlock.
La Tricolor went on to see off the Poles 3-0 in that match and to top the pile en route to the knockout stage thanks to a subsequent 1-0 win over Senegal, only to crash out to England 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the last 16. Neither James, who went off injured during the showdown against the Senegalese, nor Quintero, who was substituted in regulation time against the Three Lions, got to test their mettle from the spot.
Having failed to qualify for Qatar 2022, Colombia are getting ready to return to the sport's biggest stage at the . And the boyhood friends each blessed with a wicked left foot, 34-year-old James and 33-year-old Quintero, are steeling themselves to feature at their third World Cup campaign after representing the nation at Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.
The South Americans, overseen by Argentinian coach Nestor Lorenzo, will play their Group K opener against Uzbekistan on 17 June at Mexico City Stadium, before taking on Congo DR and then wrapping up the group against Portugal.
James, who was born in the north-eastern Colombian city of Cucuta and Medellin native Quintero, are currently plying their trade for Major League Soccer outfit Minnesota United and Argentinian giants River Plate, respectively. The duo have known each other since before they started working their way up through the ranks at Envigado.
In 2005, they had their photograph taken together during what was then known as the Pony Futbol tournament, a long-standing five-a-side competition for youngsters in Medellin. They didn’t play together: rather, Quintero was named player of the tournament that year, while James had won the accolade in the previous edition, and someone with visions of the future had the idea of putting the standout performers together in front of the camera.
Quintero became like a little brother to James, who is a year and a half his senior. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him since we were little. Being at a World Cup together fills us with pride – we’ve talked about that,” Quintero confessed after Jose Pekerman named the pair in his squad for the 2018 global showpiece in Russia.
“We’ve known each other for a long time; we played together since our early teens and I think it shows. Having him alongside me adds a lot to my game,” Rodríguez remarked. While they would play video games together in their formative years, James and Quintero have caught up with each other on holiday more recently as adults.
In 2023, they even strapped on their helmets, pulled on their jerseys and pedalled their bikes around the routes of Antioquia like professional cyclists. The following year they helped La Tricolor to a runners-up finish at the CONMEBOL Copa America in the United States. Colombia were edged out 1-0 by Argentina in the final at Miami Stadium, the very venue where they will do battle against Portugal on 27 June in their Group K curtain-closer at this year’s World Cup.
Despite their long-running connection, Rodriguez and Quintero totalled just 151 minutes on the field of play together across four matches at the 2014 and 2018 instalments of the World Cup. Coincidentally or otherwise, the game in which Colombia succumbed was the one that saw the old friends feature for the fewest minutes in tandem, while their side came out on top by the widest margin in the encounter in which they clocked up the longest on the pitch together.
Following in the flamboyant footsteps of Carlos Valderrama, James and Quintero have become synonymous with the identity of Colombian football and its emphasis on attacking flair. Others will surely take up the mantle after the two livewires hang up their boots, given that magical number 10s who play electric football are the South American nation’s most prized export.
For the time being, though, James and Quintero are set to share a dressing room at another World Cup. “With James and Juanfer, there’s no doubt that the focus is firmly on possession,” the legendary Francisco Maturana, who was in charge of the national team at Italy 1990 and USA 1994, once said.
Colombia’s fate at this year’s competition could well largely depend on the dazzling duo’s ability to once again live up to those words and to light up the action with their sumptuous link-up play, creative guile and pinpoint assists.
The star playmakers, with 171 caps and 37 goals between them, will hope to have the chance to rekindle their on-field chemistry for their country’s benefit at the upcoming extravaganza on North American soil.
Sources: FIFA Official
