Daniel Torres · Biography

The first trophy of Daniel Alejandro Torres Rojas’s career came in 2009, when Independiente Santa Fe won the Copa Colombia with him in the squad. Born on 15 November 1989 in Cáqueza, in the Cundinamarca department, he is a 1.83-metre defensive midfielder who has spent most of his career at Santa Fe, with spells at Atlético Nacional, Independiente Medellín and four Spanish clubs: Alavés, Albacete, Real Zaragoza and Castellón. He has played for Santa Fe since 2024, the year he returned to the club that developed him. Between 2015 and 2017 he won 14 caps for Colombia.

Early years in Cáqueza and Bogotá

He started out at Sporting de Cáqueza, his hometown club, where he stayed from 2005 to 2008. In 2005, aged 15, he also joined the Independiente Santa Fe youth system. He worked his way through the academy to the first team and made his top-flight debut on 8 June 2008.

First spell at Santa Fe (2008-2015)

He quickly became a regular in the Bogotá side’s midfield. After the 2009 Copa Colombia, he joined Atlético Nacional on loan in July 2011 with a purchase option that was never taken up; he made 12 league appearances for the Medellín club before returning to Bogotá. Back at Santa Fe, he was part of the team that won the 2012 Apertura, the club’s first league title since 1975. The 2013 Superliga, the 2014 Finalización and the 2015 Superliga followed. In that first spell he made 158 league appearances and scored once; across all competitions, the Colombian press credits him with 222 games in eight years.

Medellín and the move to Spain

On 5 July 2015 he signed for Independiente Medellín. In the first half of 2016 he started 18 league games in the tournament the Antioquia club went on to win. On 19 July 2016 he agreed a four-year deal with newly promoted Deportivo Alavés in the Spanish top flight. In his first season in Vitoria the team reached the 2017 Copa del Rey final, losing 3-1 to FC Barcelona at the Vicente Calderón; Torres was in the matchday squad but stayed on the bench. He played 41 league games for Alavés. On 31 January 2019 he joined Albacete in the Spanish second division on a six-month loan, and on 31 January 2020 he moved to Real Zaragoza until the end of the season. In February 2021 he went back to Albacete as a free agent, and in 2021-22 he played for CD Castellón, making 34 appearances.

Back in Colombia

In August 2022 he returned to Independiente Medellín. In just over a year he reached two league finals with the club, in 2022-II and 2023-II, and lost both; in the second, against Junior, he wore the captain’s armband and missed his kick in the penalty shoot-out. In December 2023 he chose not to renew with Medellín, and Santa Fe announced his return for 2024.

In his second spell in Bogotá he took over the captaincy. On 29 June 2025, at the Atanasio Girardot, Santa Fe beat Medellín 2-1 in the second leg of the final, after a goalless first leg at El Campín, to win the 2025 Apertura, the club’s tenth league title. Torres started in midfield and lifted the trophy as captain.

Colombia national team

He received his first call-up on 6 November 2015 for two 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Argentina. Six days later he made his debut in Santiago, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Chile. In 2016 he was named in the 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario in the United States, where Colombia finished third. His international career ended in 2017 with 14 caps and no goals.

Honours

With Independiente Santa Fe he won the Copa Colombia in 2009, the Colombian league in the 2012 Apertura, the 2014 Finalización and the 2025 Apertura, and the Superliga in 2013 and 2015. With Colombia he finished third at the 2016 Copa America Centenario.