Independiente Medellín · History

Deportivo Independiente Medellín is a Colombian professional soccer club, founded on November 14, 1913 in the city of Medellín.

DIM, as it is commonly known, also nicknamed Poderoso de la montaña, Medallo, El Equipo del Pueblo or El Decano Colombiano, has won six titles in the first division of Colombian soccer: 1955, 1957, 2002-II, 2004-I, 2009-II and 2016-I. It also holds three Copa Colombia titles: 1981, 2019 and 2020. In the amateur era, the powerful team won eight National Championship titles: 1918, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1923, 1930, 1936, 1937 and 1938.

Independiente Medellín plays its home matches at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium in the city of Medellín, a venue it shares with its backyard rival: Atlético Nacional.

Amateur Era

Independiente Medellín was one of the winningest teams before the appearance of Dimayor to impregnate professionalism in Colombian soccer.Over the years, the red team became the best team in Antioquia at that time, also winning the Jimenez Jaramillo Cup and becoming the departmental base for the Colombian Olympics that would take place at the end of the 1920s. That decade and the 30's were the most fruitful for the powerful team, which was founded thanks to the brothers Alberto, Luis and Rafael Uribe Piedrahíta. Until 1938, the team won eight national championship titles.

Professional era

With the arrival of the Dimayor, soccer in Colombia raised its status and DIM did not want to be left out of it, but in its debut it lost 4-0 against América de Cali and at the end of the tournament it was seventh among the ten teams that disputed the first official championship of the FPC. The economic crisis in several countries caused the arrival of international players to the coffee-growing country, and the powerful team formed a mixed roster of Colombians and foreigners, thus creating "La Danza del Sol" (The Dance of the Sun).

Despite Independiente Medellín's excellent roster, the team fell into an economic crisis that forced it not to play in the 1952 and 1953 tournaments. However, the prestige gained in their department made the population move in search of returning again to the red team to play in the Colombian tournament.

At the end of 1954, the team's return to Colombian soccer was confirmed and it was crowned champion for the first time in Colombian professional soccer in the yearo 1955 in the city of Cúcuta on October 23, bearing fruit to a process that had been underway since months before, when the team hired coach Delfín Benítez Cáceres and players such as Efraín 'El Caimán' Sánchez, René Seghini, Felipe Marino, Lídoro Soria, Pedro Roque Retamozo and José Manuel Moreno. Manuel Moreno, who would end up becoming one of the institution's greatest idols, as well as one of the best players of the 20th century.

The complete roster of the powerful team at that time was:Luis Alfonso Villegas, Hernando 'Canino' Caicedo, Lorenzo Calonga, Efraín 'Caimán' Sánchez, Lauro Rodríguez, Pedro Roque Retamozo, Lidoro Soria, Jorge 'Chema' Méndez, Francisco Pacheco, Orlando Larraz, René Seghini, Felipe Marino, Carlos Arango, Antonio Sacco, Valerio Delatour, Jesús 'Chucho' Hernández.

Medellín once again tasted a title in 1957, after winning the final against Cúcuta Deportivo. In the round robin, Medellín finished first, sweeping almost all its rivals, winning 16 games out of 22. In the hexagonal phase, it won Group A, which it shared with Deportivo Pereira, Deportes Tolima, Deportes Quindío, Atlético Nacional and Unión Magdalena. In the decisive series they faced the Motilón team, which they defeated 4-3 in the first leg on March 19 as visitors and then 4-0 in the second leg to be crowned with an aggregate score of 8-3. The tournament also featured José Vicente Grecco, who was the tournament's top scorer with 30 goals.

The complete roster of the powerful team at that time was:Lorenzo Calonga, Leonel Montoya, Omar Ives Ayala, Efraín 'Caimán' Sánchez, Pedro Roque Retamozo, Hernando 'Canino' Caicedo, Orlando Larraz, Hugo Contreras, Jaime 'Manco' Gutiérrez, José Vicente Grecco, Roberto 'Pibe' Ortega.Coach: René Seghini.

Another economic crisis and title drought

The decade of the 60's was plagued with talented players in Medellín.Uriel Cadavid, Perfecto Rodríguez, Héctor 'Canocho' Echeverri, Orestes Omar Corbatta and Germán 'Cuca' Aceros were some of the most talented players for Medellín.Aceros were some of the most renowned players that passed through the institution in that decade, which would not be fruitful in terms of championships. DIM never ceased to be an animator of tournaments, but it always lacked the "centavo para el peso"; its best achievements were the third place in 1964, runner-ups in the tournaments of 1961, 1965 (Colombian Cup) and 1966, in addition to participating in the 1967 Libertadores Cup.

The 1970s were no different. Infact, the team was absent from the 71 championship also due to economic problems, renting its record to Club Oro Negro from the city of Barrancabermeja. Although he was only away that year and returned in 1972, the red team continued to make excellent signings, among them José Pékerman, Ponciano Castro, José Boricua Zárate, Victor Ephanor, among others, however, they did not achieve important things.

For the Reds, the beginning of the 80s was marked by the 1981 Colombian Cup, a tournament played by the teams eliminated from that year's Colombian Championship. El Rojo was the winner of the quadrangular of the first six teams eliminated from the league, leaving Deportivo Pereira, Independiente Santa Fe, Once Caldas, Atlético Bucaramanga and Cúcuta Deportivo on their way to the final against Deportivo Cali, which was the winner of the quadrangular played by the next four teams eliminated from the league. In the final series, El Medallo defeated Deportivo Cali 3-1 in the first leg, while in the second leg, they clinched the title with a 1-1 draw. That decade was also marked by the passage of several talented players who later became legends of Colombian soccer, such as:Leonel Álvarez, Hernán Darío Gómez, Gabriel Jaime 'Barrabás' Gómez, Oscar Pareja, one of the institution's great íCarlos Castro and another emblematic player such as John Wilmar 'La Pelusa' Pérez. If we talk about foreign players, we must talk about the Peruvian Luis Eduardo Malásquez, who scored on November 14, 1984, precisely on the 71st birthday of the team, one of the most remembered goals by the Antioquian fans: La Malasqueña.

Independiente Medellín has had great players in its ranks, and many of the best players of the 90's played there. In 1992, they had players such as Hernán Torres, Óscar Pareja, Carlos 'El Pibe' Valderrama, Carlos Castro, among others, but they had a terrible campaign and did not even qualify for the final round. In 1993, the red team would count on other players such as Luis Barbat, Eduardo Pimentel, Carlos 'La Gambeta' Estrada, among others, and under the command of Luis Augusto 'El Chiqui' García, the DIM was on the way to a better team. García, the DIM was on its way to a new title after 36 years, however, in the last matchday, after defeating Atlético Nacional and after the Olympic lap in Barranquilla, Junior de Barranquilla scored against América de Cali the goal that would snatch from the Antioquian team the opportunity to end a long title drought, this being one of the most bitter chapters in the club's history. After the cold shower, Carlos Castillo would appear as the new president, a character with whom the DIM lived one of its darkest periods in administrative matters, since in the mid 90's, the team was immersed in the battle to maintain the category, and although its fans reacted to this situation, it was not easy for them to keep the club in the top flight.Although the fans reacted by making the directors leave, the team ended the 20th century trying to recover economically to fight for championships again. This did not exempt the team from having quality players, among them Roberto Carlos Cortés, Giovanni Hernández, David Montoya, René Higuita, among others.

21st century: the end of the drought

Although Medellín was still recovering economically from the crisis of the 90's, its youth players began to shine in Colombian soccer, and players such as Luis Amaranto Perea began to appear, David González, one of the most representative goalkeepers of the red history, as well as Jhon Javier 'Choronta' Restrepo, who is another emblematic player of the institution, as well as Mauricio Molina. They were joined by other players such as Malher Tressor Moreno, Andrés Orozco and another group of players who ended up being decisive in the history of the club. Independiente Medellin has the most valuable part of its history in 2002, where after 45 years it returned to know what it was to be champion of Colombian soccer. Things did not start well for DIM, which under Reinaldo Rueda could not find positive results in 10 games under his management. He was replaced by Víctor Luna, who guided the red team from 13th position to the group of eight, taking them to third place at the end of the round-robin stage. In the quadrangulars, they faced Deportivo Cali, Atlético Bucaramanga and Deportes Tolima in group A, which they won after collecting 11 points, the same amount achieved by Deportivo Pasto in group B, which would be the rival of the team from Antioquia.

The locality in the final was defined by the reclassification table of the whole championship and as Medellín qualified with one point less than Pasto, the series began in the city of the eternal spring. In that first duel, DIM won 2-0, with goals by Robinson Muñoz and Julio César Valencia in his own goal. In the second leg, a 1-1 draw gave the title to the team of the people who, with a goal by Mauricio Molina, sealed the series to end the 45-year title drought in the first division.

The complete squad of the powerful team in that championship was:Luis Amaranto Perea, Roberto Carlos Cortés, Édgar Carvajal, Andrés Acevedo, David González, Agustín Julio, Andrés Orozco, Eder Ricardo Steer, Agostinho, Heriberto Velandia, Eliécer Díaz Maturana, Juan Fernando Leal, Malher Tressor Moreno, Juan David Moreno,César Valoyes, Ricardo Calle, Alexander Jaramillo, Nicolás Torres, William Vásquez, John Javier Restrepo, Andrés Felipe Rodríguez, Mauricio Molina, Jair Benítez, Róbinson Muñoz, David Montoya, Jairo Serna, Diego Álvarez.

DIM earned the right to go to the 2003 Libertadores Cup after this championship and would share a group with Boca Juniors from Argentina, Colo Colo from Chile and Barcelona from Ecuador. Things did not start well for the red team, which lost to Boca in Argentina, but later recovered by beating Barcelona; then visited Colo Colo but lost. Then they received the visit of Boca Juniors and defeated them by the minimum difference, went to Guayaquil and defeated Barcelona and then in Medellin defeated Colo Colo to qualify first in their group, causing a sensation throughout the South American continent. Then in the round of 16 they defeated Cerro Porteño of Paraguay in the penalty shootout series, where David González became a great figure, saving two penalties. In the quarterfinals they faced Gremio de Porto Alegre, where they drew 2-2 and then defeated them 2-1 in an agonizing manner at the Atanasio, true to their history. Then in the semifinals they faced Santos of Brazil, with whom they lost on Brazilian soil, and on Colombian soil they ended up losing despite battling until the end. Thanks to this performance, that year's DIM gained a lot of respect and recognition at South American level.

After a brilliant performance in the 2003 Libertadores Cup, DIM did not reach a Colombian soccer final again until the first half of 2004. After a tournament that began under the direction of Jaime 'El Flaco' Rodríguez, but did not produce the expected results in eight matches under his management. Then, Pedro Sarmiento took over, and despite starting with a defeat in the paisa classic against Nacional, the team showed a reaction that took it to the sixth position in the table. In the quadrangulars of that tournament, they faced Once Caldas, Boyacá Chicó and Deportivo Cali, and it was precisely against the latter that the red team managed to reach the final, with an agonizing 3-3 draw.

In the final series, Medellín faced none other than their backyard rival, Atlético Nacional. In the first leg, the home side won 2-1 with goals by Jorge Horacio Serna and Rafael Castillo, while in the second leg, the Medellín side was determined to keep a clean sheet at all costs and in the end a goalless draw ended up giving them the victory over their eternal rival and their fourth star.

The line-up of the powerful team that day was:David González, Ricardo Calle, Jhann Carlos López, Heriberto Velandia, Jair Benítez, Jaime Castrillón, Alexander Jaramillo, Camilo Giraldo, Néider Morantes, John Angulo, Jorge Horacio Serna, Bayron Garcia, Carlos Córdoba, Jamell Ramos, John Wilmar Pérez, César Valoyes, Rafael Castillo, Ferley Villamil.

Five years had to go by before DIM could once again reach a title in Colombian soccer. In 2009, led by Leonel Álvarez, the powerful team was strong and finished first in the round-robin phase with 38 points. In the next phase, the quadrangular phase, they faced Junior de Barranquilla, Real Cartagena and Deportivo Pereira in group A. The powerful team swept their rivals, winning four out of six matches and drawing the other two, finishing undefeated in the phase and qualifying for the final against Atlético Huila, which left Independiente Santa Fe, Atlético Nacional and Deportes Tolima in the way.

In the first leg, in a very close match, the Reds won with a goal by Jackson Martinez, who ended up being the top scorer of the championship. In the second leg, Huila took the lead first, but Medellín turned it around with goals by Jackson Martínez and Luis Fernando Mosquera to take a two-goal lead. In the end, Huila was unable to come back despite scoring again and the score was 3-2 to seal the fifth title of the team of the people in the first division of Colombian soccer.

The complete roster of the powerful team in that tournament was:Aldo Bobadilla, Brayan López, Ricardo Calle, Samuel Vanegas, Leiton Jiménez, Juan David Valencia, Andres Mosquera, Andrés Felipe Ortiz, Elkin Mosquera Moreno, Hernán Pertúz, Juan David Muriel Cruz, César Alexander Quintero Jiménez, Luis Tipton, John Javier Restrepo, Juan Esteban Ortiz,Javier Calle, Luis Fernando Mosquera, Roger Cañas, Giovanny Alexander López, Juan Esteban López, Jonathan Andrés Cueto, Yorleys Mena, Jackson Martínez,Luis Carlos Arias, Felipe Pardo, César Rivas, César Valoyes, Yeisson Alexander Rentería, William Arboleda, Brunet Francisco Hay, Rafael Arlex Castillo.

After falling into a sporting crisis, almost fighting not to be relegated and having to settle for three subtitles, Independiente Medellín found its sixth star in 2016. Once again, under the command of Leonel Álvarez, the powerful would have a remarkable semester, being first in the regular phase with 40 points achieved. In the play-offs phase, they defeated Deportivo Cali after losing 2-1 in the first leg and beating them 2-0 in the second leg in the city of Medellín. In the semifinals they met Cortuluá, whom they defeated 2-1 in their visit to the city of Tuluá, but after losing the second leg by the same score, the teams were forced to play for a place in the final through penalty kicks. After an agonizing series in which all 22 players took the penalty, DIM qualified for the final of the tournament.

In the final, they faced Junior de Barranquilla, who reached the final by the same means, leaving Atlético Nacional behind. In the first leg, the powerful team earned a valuable draw in the city of Barranquilla (1-1) and in the second leg, played in the city of Medellín, the red team defeated the shark 2-0 with goals by Christian Marrugo to win its sixth league title.

David González, Luis Erney Vasquez, Andres Mosquera, Hernán Pertúz, Juan Camilo Saiz, Matias Cahais, Daniel Torres, William Parra,Luis Tipton, Sebastián Macías, Marlon Piedrahita, Elacio Córdoba, Juan David Cabezas, Didier Moreno, John Hernández,Ever Valencia, Mauricio Molina, Christian Marrugo, Hernán Hechalar, Luis Carlos Arias, Juan Fernando Caicedo, Faider Burbano, Leonardo Castro,Johan Arango, Diego Herazo, Juan Felipe Santa, Jhohan Romaña, Cristian Echavarría, Eduard Atuesta, Octavio Patiño, Mauricio Cortés.

Independiente Medellín won one more title in 2019. The powerful side, under the command of its former player and idol, Aldo Bobadilla, won the Copa Aguila after defeating Deportivo Cali 4-3 on aggregate. In the first leg, the game was tied 2-2 with goals by Didier Moreno and Germán Cano, while in the second leg, they won 2-1, with goals by Adrián Arregui and again Germán Cano, to become champions of a title that had eluded them since their return in 2008.

The powerful team added another title to its trophy cabinet: the Colombian Cup in 2020. As the reigning champion, Medellin earned the right to go to the preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores, where they would end up qualifying for the group stage, also earning the right to start the next edition among the 16 best teams of the tournament. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the championship format was modified, where it would be played as a single match from the round of 16 and would end in 2021. In that phase, it beat Deportivo Pereira 0-2, in the quarterfinals it did the same against Junior de Barranquilla (2-1), and would qualify for the final after leaving Deportes Quindío in the way. The final match was played against Deportes Tolima at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium on February 11, where after 90 minutes, after a 1-1 score, they won the penalty shootout series by 5-4.