Pablo Escobar, one of the most notorious criminals in history, is remembered not only for his control of the entire world drug market, but also for his crazy passion for football and his huge financial commitment.
The Colombian, born in Medellín, received a pair of soccer boots for his first gift after his birth in 1949, and when he was shot by police in 1993, he was also wearing a pair of soccer boots. That's enough to say that he's obsessed with the sport.
The poverty of the family led Escobar to the path of crime. At Pablo's peak, 80 percent of the drugs in the United States came from his hands. At that time, his strategy was also very simple, that is, to keep bribing government officials, and those who did not accept bribes were directly killed. After making a fortune from drug trafficking, he also faced a problem: too much cash. Under the strict surveillance of the Colombian government and the United States, he buried tons of cash across the country.
At the same time, Escobar played the dual identity of "Robin Hood", he invested a lot of money in the poor masses, he has built 32 kindergartens, 23 primary schools, 11 private middle schools, 7 public secondary schools, 4 night universities, 2 universities, 600 fully equipped unit housing churches, hospitals and houses, known as the "Robin Hood of Latin America", but his favorite thing to do is to build stadiums in slums. Pablo's stadium construction plan has won the favor of many young people, including many players who will later switch to professional leagues.
Garcia, Cerna, Iquita were all stars who came out of the Escobar stadium, and people at that time respected him, watching his speech was like watching a benevolent mayor speak, "Everyone was discussing who donated the stadium, but this person was criticized as a drug king," said Lionel Alvarez, who made 101 appearances for the Colombian national team. ”
"The slums also had their own tournaments," recalls Condor Herrera, a player who grew up to play 61 times for the Colombian national team, "The whole community forgot their troubles, I was very poor at the time, but it was very important on the football field, so to speak, living in a perfect world." ”
But at the same time, Escobar is also a thorn in the side of the Colombian government, and the impact of his criminal group on Colombia and the whole world cannot be explained in three words. But anyone who has seen "Narcos" can understand the great danger contained in Escobar, who has not only assassinated senior government officials, but even blown up planes. Drug trafficking has brought him a huge fortune to Escobar, and he was once named one of the 7 richest people in the world by Fortune magazine. The money that poured in also allowed him to use it on the football he was obsessed with.
In 1973, when he began his career as a drug empire in Escobar, his beloved Medellín National Athletic won the second league title in the club's history. By the 1980s, as Escobar became completely rich, he became the big boss behind the club.
For the situation, Matulana, who was the head coach of Medellín National Athletics from 1987 to 1990, once said in the documentary "Two Escobar", "The money from drug trafficking is invested in the team, and then we have the money to buy top foreign aid, and the money can also retain the best players in the country, the team's competitive level is getting better and better, everyone understands that Pablo paid for it, but no one can prove it." ”
It is worth mentioning that in addition to National Athletics, Escobar also invested in his city rival Medellín Independence and often appeared in the stands of The Independence home. In independence, the team's budget is equally adequate, as Escobar sees the benefits of the club. Escobar's partner Gacha has invested in the Millionaires team in the Colombian capital. On the other hand, Escobar's direct competitor in the business, Orehula, the leader of the Cali Group, is the financial owner behind Cali America. At that time, every Colombian fan knew that the era of "drug lord football" had arrived.
In Medellín, Escobar took the concept of fantasy football to a whole new level, and he loves to play football himself, playing regularly at his estate against 11 people carefully selected by the millionaire team. Every player who participates in such a tournament receives a valuable appearance fee, and for the bosses of both sides, the bet is usually as high as a million dollars or more.
But some righteous players have chosen to avoid it, such as Andrés Escobar of National Athletics, (the Colombian international who was shot after the 1994 World Cup) he will choose not to play for the drug lords because he is unwell, but the vast majority of players do not think too much and are happy to see it.
As recalled by those who have watched Escobar play, although he has a small belly, he is indeed a flexible player on the field. The dominant foot is the right foot, but likes to move on the left and then cut inward. Escobar is not a professional athlete, but he likes to play with real geniuses.
In Colombian football at the time, National Athletic was clearly better off, and they became the first team in Colombian football history to win the Copa Libertadores. In 1989, National Athletic and Paraguay's Olympia division met in the final. In the first leg of the meeting, National Athletic lost 2-0 away from home, and after returning to Colombia, National Athletic, which had the home advantage, eventually dragged the game to a penalty shootout. In the end, under the supervision of Escobar, Medellín National Athletic won the Libertadores Cup for the first time in history.
National Athletics wins the championship instantly
"Pablo jumps up from the stands and roars after every goal," said Jerro Vazquez, a close associate of Escobar and with more than 200 lives on his hands. ”
In the days after the victory, all the national players were invited to the farm for a grand celebration party, and Escobar even loaded a truckload of cash to reward the players for the lottery. For him, these players are not commodities, but his friends, and friends cannot be measured in money, and Escobar treats friends by making them happy forever.
Overnight, it seems, football became a new source of pride for the Colombian people, even though that glory carried the shadow of a dangerous drug offender.
Sure enough, in October 1989, Escobar's other team, Medellín, lost independently to Cali America, with rumors that the referee in duty, Alvaro Ortega, had been bought off. Soon, Ortega was shot dead.
Finally, in 1991, Escobar also accepted the government's edict for various crimes, and he personally sent himself to the prison he built, which people called the Great Sanctuary, and in this tailor-made luxury prison, there was a standard football field, and Colombian stars became regulars here.
Great Sanctuary of La Catedral
Even maradona, the king of the ball, was invited to come because of the huge appearance fee. Maradona was suspended for 15 months in 1991 after being found to be drug tested at the Napoli club, after which he was revealed to have appeared with Iquita during a game at the prison pitch: "I was taken to a prison guarded by nearly a thousand guards, I said what's going on, is this a prison?" This is simply a luxury guesthouse. I was taken to one of the people's offices and he told me he liked watching me play football. The game took place in a pleasant atmosphere, everyone enjoyed it very much, and there was a big party that night, and the girls at the party were the most beautiful I had ever seen in my life. It all happens in prison! It was unbelievable. Asked later, the king claimed not to know Escobar as a person.
After spending nearly two years in his own prison, Escobar eventually chose to escape for fear of being extradited to the United States. Even in the most dangerous times, football was still in his heart, and even once he was chased into a trench by soldiers, he did not forget to listen to the World Cup qualifiers with the radio.
But Escobar still didn't live to see his country perform on the World Cup stage. In December 1993, he was shot dead by Colombian police on the roof of a home in Medellín. After his death, the cartel group he controlled was in chaos, and football was affected, and at the '94 World Cup, Condor Herrera's brother was killed in a car accident and assistant coach Hernan's brother Barabas Gomez received death threats.
Escobar was killed at the scene
Among them, the most sad is undoubtedly the young national defender Andrés Escobar, who scored a oolong goal against the United States in the World Cup, which led to Colombia not qualifying for the group, and was shot by hooligans a few days after returning home, "if Pablo is still alive, none of this will happen", his cousin Gavilia once said.
Andre Escobar's innocent death became the last straw that overwhelmed Colombian football. More than 3,000 people attended his funeral, and Serna, a member of the Colombian national team in 1994, said, "Our biggest motivation is to prove to the world through football that Colombia is not just about violence and drugs." But Escobar's murder shows that even players are not immune to violence. Many people's illusions have been shattered. ”
Personal safety has made Baldrama, Asprira and other famous players bid farewell to the national team, and the team that once brought hope has also collapsed and fallen into a long downturn. In South America, paraguay, Chile, Ecuador and other teams that were once overlooked by them have become unbeatable opponents, and the world ranking has also slipped all the way to 50, and has not been involved in the World Cup since 1998, until 2014, when they re-entered the World Cup finals.
During this time, Colombians believed that "drug lord football" did not disappear with Pablo's death. In 2007, the Colombian magazine Semana intercepted a phone call from the head of the military organization, Jorge 40, to the club's director, Valle Dupar, in which he said that a player should thank him for loaning him from Cali America, whose boss is also a drug lord.
Some people still suspect that there are still people who launder money through the club, but the current drug lords are not as bold as Escobar. Even National Athletics head coach Mathulana admits that as long as someone is willing to accept the blood-soaked money, the problem will haunt the souls of Colombians.
Although Colombia is still unable to get rid of drugs, guns and other problems, football has reunited the country, and both adults and children can sit in front of the TV in yellow jerseys to cheer for the team.
This is perhaps the most important meaning of football for this country.