Atalanta, the Italian club from Bergamo, is currently one of the most in-form clubs in Europe.
Historically, the club has not been too successful, but over the past two years, under coach Gian Piero Gasperini, the club can be proud of having the most productive offence in the continent - 94 goals this season. The club’s top players are Duvan Zapata, Papu Gomez, and Mario Pasalic, but coach Gasperini also has his super-sub from the bench: 29-year-old Colombian striker, Luis Fernando Muriel.
Unlike Zapata, Muriel isn’t a natural ‘Number 9’ striker. He usually feels more comfortable as a winger or a second striker. He is fast and has a very good technique which helps him not only to score but to create dangerous options for his teammates. He has been in Europe for a long time now since he came to the old continent at a young age. Despite his great form, the last two years have been very difficult for him.
As a child, he played in Junior Barranquilla, but even though he was talented, his coach decided to move him to Deportivo Cali in exchange for a Vallenato music disc. They must be very sorry for this humiliating act. He started to play professional football in 2009 with Deportivo Cali in the best possible way. He came in late in the season but managed to score 9 goals in the last 10 matches, alerting scouts around the country. Cali’s benefit was short-lived, as only a year later Udinese decided to buy 70% of his rights for €1.9M. Muriel was then loaned to Spanish club Grenada where he failed to get a real chance. He only played 9 matches and didn’t score any goals.
A year later in 2011, he was sent on loan at Italian club Lecce alongside Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. The young talent started to demonstrate his abilities. First, he led Colombia U-20 to the 2011 U-20 World Cup quarter-final which took place in the country along with James Rodriguez. When he returned to Italy, Lecce’s coach Serse Cosmi gave him more credit. He played 29 matches, scoring 7 goals and assisting 8 times. Very nice production for a 20-year-old player in his Serie A debut. Due to his good performances, Udinese decided to bring him back at the end of the season.
The first year with the ‘Zebrette‘ was very good for Muriel, who scored 11 goals and the team finished 5th. It seemed that he was on his way to the highest levels when even national team coach back then, Jose Nestor Pekerman decided to invite him for the first time. Muriel nearly became an integral part of Colombia’s national team during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He barely played, and when he did - it was as a sub. It was difficult for a 23-year-old player to compete with strikers like Falcao or Teo Gutierrez at their prime. Unfortunately, it was one of the main reasons why Pekerman cut him from the 2014 World Cup roster one week before the opening match, despite Falcao’s injury.
Sampdoria decided to purchase him for €10.5M in 2015 and Muriel established himself as one of the best strikers in the league. It was enough for Sevilla to splash the cash on him and make him their most expensive signing ever when he was purchased in 2017 for €20M to replace his co-patriot, Carlos Bacca. But shortly Muriel found life in the Spanish league very hard to adjust. He didn’t find his place in the team, most of the time he was supposed to be the centre striker, a role which he is less comfortable with. Although he had chances to prove himself, he failed in Spain. Despite his bad form, he was summoned to play in the 2018 World Cup, a reward for his good work during the years since the last tournament. After a year and a half in Sevilla, he decided to return to the Serie A and joined Fiorentina on loan. This move probably saved his career from drowning when several good months convinced Atalanta to gamble on him.
Since Fiorentina didn’t sign him permanently, Atalanta was the one who paid €18M to Sevilla in June 2019. It was a risky move since Muriel was injured a few days earlier in Colombia’s opening win over Argentina in the Copa America and finished the tournament. But along with his co-patriot, Duvan Zapata, and the confidence that he has from head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, Muriel became the best super sub in Europe. Of his 17 goals, 10 were scored when he came as a substitute. A significant achievement, Muriel is the only substitute player to score 10+ goals in the same season in Serie A history.
Carlos Queiroz, Colombia’s head coach, really likes Muriel and gives him a lot of credit. It’s very good news for him to see both him and Zapata playing well together, a few months before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and a year before the Copa America in Colombia. Muriel, who is having the best moment in his career, should be the major force of Colombia’s offence along with Zapata and James. Colombia’s fans hope that this trio will bring the country its second international title, 20 years after the first.
Photo via Luis Muriel Instagram Account.
