Exactly on September 2, 1961, a footballer named Carlos Valderrama was born into the world. He was born in Santa Maria, Colombia. He became the player with the most appearances for the Colombian national team with a record 111 appearances, and he appeared in three World Cup titles.
The player whose full name is Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio, and also has the nickname El Pibe is one of the world’s players with a unique appearance, namely curly hair (similar to David Luiz’s hair, but thicker) which is blonde. Perhaps, is Fellaini’s inspiration for frizzy and blonde hair as it is today.
Valderrama started his football career at Union Magdalena in 1981. In 1985, when he played for the Deportivo Cali team, he made his debut with the Colombian national team in a friendly match against Paraguay which ended in a 3-0 defeat of Colombia. After his debut in 1985, Valderrama was appointed captain of the Colombian national team in three World Cup titles (1990, 1994 and 1998).
Colombia never runs out of unique and quirky figures. Apart from Rene Higuita the scorpion kicker, they also have Carlos Valderrama. Valderrama isn’t just about fluffy golden hair. With 111 matches, the player who was born on September 2, 1961 is the owner of the most caps in the Colombian National Team. He is known to have a capable dribbling ability. His agile legs are able to move the ball beautifully.
One of the most memorable of all his appearances for the national team was the match against England at the 1998 World Cup, the last competition he participated in. At that time he was 36 years old, already beyond the golden age. Even so, Valderrama was still able to defend La Tricolor.
Graeme Le Saux, a player for the England National Team, witnessed Valderrama’s ability to dribble. England beat Colombia at that time, but one of the things that Valderrama remembers the most is the ringing of the bracelet that always accompanies Valderrama’s every move. “The funny thing about Valderrama is when he wears a lot of bracelets. It [literally] always sounds. Every time he receives the ball you can hear it. It’s like a sleigh because you can hear the bracelet ringing,” said Le Saux, quoted by The Guardian.
Even Le Saux said that Valderrama’s hairstyle had its own ‘magical’ power. “The hair he has has a gravitational field, so you can feel him coming either by listening or feeling his hair around you,” continued Le Saux. Like most stories about players who have good ball control, everything about Valderrama’s success stems from playing on the road.
“I learned to play like that [under pressure] with the neighbors at home. Just [focus] on playing,” said Valderrama, quoted from These Football Times. However, despite having an eccentric style and a myriad of achievements, Valderrama is still Valderrama. He remains a down-to-earth person.
This is evidenced by one of the humanitarian actions carried out. Valderrama is willing to dye his hair pink, as a form of support for breast cancer awareness. Although it has become one of his trademarks as a footballer, he did not hesitate to change his hair color for the Avon foundation which is engaged in social care for breast cancer in Colombia.
El Pibe’s eccentric style is matched by his achievements as a player, both in the Colombian national team and for the club he plays for. It becomes worthy if he will always be remembered not only for his hairstyle, but also a footballer with qualified qualities.With all the uniqueness inherent in Valderrama, as well as all his abilities when playing as a midfielder, he deserves to be remembered.
ASL
