On a calm evening in Gustavo Puerta stole the show. The tireless midfielder covered every blade of grass. He pressed relentlessly, dictated play, read the game brilliantly and even tried his luck in front of goal.
At just 22, Puerta’s name is on everyone’s lips, both on social media and among the jubilant 40,000-strong Colombian contingent that turned the heart of Missouri into a carnival. The verdict is unanimous: he is not just one of the World Cup’s breakout stars, he has become the heartbeat of this side.
His performance in the was further proof of why coach Nestor Lorenzo put his faith in him ahead of Richard Rios, who had long been a nailed-on starter in Colombia’s midfield three. As he has throughout the tournament, Puerta was once again one of Colombia’s best performers.
He did the dirty work out of possession, switched positions with Jefferson Lerma and James Rodriguez, kept the ball flowing with purpose and picked the right moments to inject pace into their attacks. The numbers backed it up. He covered more ground than any other player, capping off a tireless display.
“The coach wants me to be as versatile as possible," Puerta told FIFA after the Ghana game. "He’s deployed me on the right, on the left and sometimes as a holding midfielder. To be honest, I feel really comfortable. I just try to help the team in any way I possibly can,”
His ability to operate in different areas of the pitch has become central to Lorenzo’s game plan, with the side’s adaptable midfield emerging as one of their biggest strengths: “We’re all fully on board with the coach’s system. We can all play in different positions, and I think that gives the coach more options when it comes to setting up the team,” Puerta added.
Since breaking into the side, Puerta has given the team a new dimension, with the midfielder seamlessly drifting between roles and adapting to new tactical demands over the course of a match. Colombia have gained energy, discipline, bite in midfield and a more streamlined passing game. Puerta has a knack for making even the most difficult things look easy.
He plays forward whenever possible, knows when to slow the tempo, breaks opposition lines with his passing and driving runs, all while keeping Colombia’s defensive shape intact.
“I was a bit tired by the end of the game, but that’s all part and parcel of the job,” Puerta said after the match. “It’s hard to put this moment into words. It’s a dream come true. I’d dreamed of this moment and, thankfully, we’ve made it happen. We’re a team that plays with heart and soul. We give it our absolute all out there and fight for every ball as though it’s our last.”
Lorenzo recognised Puerta's potential long before the tournament.
"He’s having a great World Cup," the Colombia coach said when asked about Puerta by FIFA. "We gave Gustavo his first call-up when he was playing for Bogota in Colombia’s second division, and we’ve kept our faith in him since his move to Racing de Santander. I went to watch him when he was at Hull City. His clubs have generally been smaller outfits or second-tier sides, but we’ve always seen him as a complete midfielder: intelligent, full of character and very mature for his age.
"He reads the game superbly. He knows exactly when to take the sting out of it, when to inject pace into the game and always keeps everything ticking over nicely. I think he’s becoming a really important player for us."
The 22-year-old's route to the top has been far from typical. After emerging with Bogota FC in Colombia's second division and captaining his country's U-20 side, he earned a move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 before loan spells at FC Nuremberg and Hull City. It was at Racing de Santander that he finally found regular football, helping the club win promotion to Spain's top flight.
Even then, a starting place at the FIFA World Cup™ was far from guaranteed, with the more experienced Richard Ríos widely expected to get the nod. Instead, Puerta seized his opportunity. “I really like how the lad plays. He’s not fazed by the scale of the occasion,” Rios said after Colombia's opening match against Uzbekistan. “I think it’s amazing what’s happening to him, because he deserves it. He’s earned it on merit and nobody has handed it to him on a plate.”
Puerta also credits the support of those around him for helping him settle so quickly. “The support I’ve received from all my team-mates has been out of this world. They keep telling me to go out there, enjoy the World Cup and just play my own game. The trust they’ve placed in me has been really important, and I think I’ve shown they were right to trust me,” he said. Veteran defender Santiago Arias agrees, adding: “Gustavo’s a lad who’s done things the right way, who’s earned his place, and nothing seems beyond him. In this national team, anyone coming in for the first time is made to feel right at home and looked after as if they’ve been here for a long time.”
Puerta, meanwhile, prefers not to get carried away. “I’m very humble about it. It makes me really happy to hear people talk about me like that, but I have to stay focused on what really matters, which is the World Cup. I just want to keep helping the team, doing my job to the best of my ability, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Sources: FIFA Official
