Teófilo Antonio Gutiérrez Roncancio was born on 17 May 1985 in Barranquilla, Colombia, and came through the youth ranks of his hometown club Junior, a team he would return to several times during his career. A left-footed forward who could play as a central striker or drop deep to link play, he appeared in Colombia, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico and Portugal, and represented Colombia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Early years in Barranquilla and debut with Junior
He grew up in the La Chinita neighbourhood in the south of Barranquilla and played for Barranquilla FC, Junior’s affiliate side, before moving up to the first team. He became a regular member of Junior’s professional squad from 2007. In his first seasons he alternated between starting and coming off the bench, but his ability to score from distance and to drop deep to receive the ball earned him minutes in the Colombian top flight. His goals in the domestic league drew interest from abroad, and in January 2010 he left Colombia for the first time.
Turkey, Argentina and Mexico
His first foreign club was Trabzonspor, whom he joined in January 2010. His spell in Turkey was short, and he soon moved to Argentine football, playing for Lanús and, from 2012, for Racing Club. In between he went back to Junior in mid-2012, and early in 2013 he left for Mexico to join Cruz Azul. Those were years of frequent moves, in which he gained experience in very different leagues and settled into the role of a mobile forward able to lead the line or start from a wide position.
River Plate, his most successful spell
In July 2013 he signed for River Plate, a transfer closely followed by the press in both Colombia and Argentina. At the Buenos Aires club he enjoyed the most prominent period of his career. Under Ramón Díaz, River won the 2014 Torneo Final of the Argentine championship, with Gutiérrez as one of the regular attackers. After Marcelo Gallardo took charge, the team lifted the 2014 Copa Sudamericana later that year, and in 2015 added the Recopa Sudamericana against San Lorenzo. His partnership with Rodrigo Mora was one of the attacking keys of that River side.
Sporting CP and Rosario Central
In July 2015 he returned to Europe, this time with Sporting CP, coached by Jorge Jesus. He played the 2015-16 Portuguese league season, in which the Lisbon club fought Benfica for the title until the final weeks. In August 2016 he went back to Argentina on loan to Rosario Central, where he spent one more season before his link with the Portuguese club ended in 2017.
Return to Junior and titles in Colombia
In July 2017 he came back to Junior, and that long second spell proved the most productive of his career in Colombian football. The Barranquilla club won the 2017 Copa Colombia and then the 2018 Finalización league title, beating Independiente Medellín in the final. In 2019 they added the Superliga against Deportivo Tolima and that year’s Apertura title against Deportivo Pasto. During those years Gutiérrez was not only a scorer but also the player through whom much of the team’s attacking build-up flowed.
Deportivo Cali, Bucaramanga and Real Cartagena
In August 2021 he joined Deportivo Cali, with whom he won the 2021 Finalización title after beating Deportivo Tolima in the final. In February 2023 he moved to Atlético Bucaramanga, returned to Cali in July of the same year, and in February 2024 signed for Real Cartagena, in the second tier of Colombian football.
Colombia national team
Gutiérrez made his senior international debut during Hernán Darío Gómez’s time in charge and was a regular in José Pékerman’s squads during qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup he scored against Greece in Colombia’s opening match, at a tournament in which the team reached the quarter-finals for the first time. He was also part of the squad that played the 2015 Copa América in Chile.
Junior FCForwardMarket value €200.0K