Former Colombian footballer Faustino Asprilla scored 43 goals with Italian Parma. Image: @1913parmacalcio.

One of the best forwards that Colombian football has produced is Faustino Asprillawho in the early 1990s fell short in his speed, his ability to win one-on-ones, in addition to his goalscoring power which was talked about in Italy when defending the colors of Parma.

However, the Tino He was not only famous for his goalscoring but also for his life off the pitch which put him in the eye of the hurricane. The man from Tulueño made his professional debut with the T-shirt of the Cucuta Sports in 1988, with the painting motillon and He scored a total of 24 goals.

In 1990, Faustino Asprilla was signed by National Athletic in which he made a pair in attack with Víctor Hugo Atistizábal. With him king of cupsthe former Palmeiras was champion of the Colombian league in 1991. In his two stages with the Purslane it was reported in the opposite network 31 times.

After having participated with the Colombian team in the Paraguayan pre-Olympic of which he was one of the stars, Faustino Asprilla was acquired by the Parma from Italy in 1992. With the crusaders the Tino He had stellar performances that catapulted him as one of the best strikers on the planet.

The former striker gave an interview to Italian media The Gazzetta dello Sport in which he evokes his stay in Parma. “He had no head. I didn’t like training I had trouble understanding what the coaches were asking me to do, I was used to playing freely and, on the other hand, here, you have to be faithful to your tactics, woe to you if you are wrong”.

“And then I didn’t lead the life of a perfect athlete; I went to bed late, and hardly ever alone, I woke up very late, I liked going to discos and partying. Anyway, in all this mess that has been my life, football was not in the foreground. It was my limit. But I had a lot of fun and I think I entertained a lot of people.

In the same way, Asprila He assured that he doesn’t appreciate modern football in which strategists steal all the show: “I watch it, but I’m not amused. All side passes, few dribbles. And then these coaches who look like troublemakers in front of the benches and who shout at the players what to do. The notoriety of the coaches annoys me a lot, it seems like they invented football and maybe they don’t even know how to block a ball”.

“Do you realize that nowadays, to get shot on TV, there are assistants who show the players who have to enter the field how they have to move, what they have to do, who they have to score? We are crazy? Do you think the players don’t know what to do? Free them, let them have fun and you will see that we will all have a lot more fun.

During his two stints as a Parma player, Faustino Asprilla played 150 matches scoring 43 goals and gave 26 assists. Additionally, he won five titles; Coppa Italia (1999), European Cup Winners’ Cup (1993), European Super Cup (1993) and two UEFA Cups (1995 and 1999).

With the Colombian selection he played a total of 57 games scoring 20 goals and providing 14 assists. Así mismo, jugó los mundiales de Estados Unidos 1994 y Francia 1998. A nivel de clubs actuó par Newcastle (Inglaterra), Palmeiras, Fluminense (Brasil), Atlante (México), Universidad de Chile, Estudiantes de La Plata (Argentina) y Cortuluá (Colombia).

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