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The Redemption of David Ospina: An Arsenal Outcast Becomes a Colombian Legend

January 2, 2025
Player Stories

Footballing history was made on September 6, 1995 after a cross by Jamie Redknapp in an England friendly against Colombia. René ‘El Loco’ Higuita stunned Wembley Stadium as he pulled off the iconic ‘scorpion kick’ to clear the ball, a technique which will forever be associated with the legendary shot-stopper.

 

Higuita is a revered figure in Colombia and is widely recognized as one of the finest goalkeepers that South America has produced. Now 58, the Medellín-born icon is now a coach at his local side Atlético Nacional. It is at Atlético Nacional where a new tale in South American goalkeeping folklore is currently being told, by a name very familiar to those in Europe and particularly North London: David Ospina.

 

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David Ospina’s European Endeavour

 

David Ospina joined Arsenal in the summer of 2014, with Arsène Wenger identifying the Colombian at OGC Nice as the perfect replacement for Łukasz Fabiański. Now 36, many Arsenal fans may have wondered where the six-foot-tall goalkeeper would have ended up, or whether he was even still playing at all.

 

Ospina made 70 appearances for Arsenal across four seasons, with a brief spell as the number one after Wenger’s falling out with Wojciech Szczęsny, but he failed to convince the French manager that he was a viable long-term option, with Petr Čech later signed to usurp him in the pecking order. The goalkeeper did taste some success at Arsenal, starting in the 2017 FA Cup Final victory against Chelsea, and was the first-ever Colombian to win the trophy.

 

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Wenger’s departure in 2018 was followed by Ospina’s, who joined Napoli in Serie A. After a few years of battling Alex Meret for the number one spot at the Italian giants, Ospina’s time in European football came to an end when he joined Al-Nassr in 2022, where he would be joined by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. Two years in Saudi Arabia was enough for Ospina, and the goalkeeper decided to make a move which would see him become a legend, as he returned to his boyhood club Atlético Nacional.

 

David Ospina’s Roots at Atlético Nacional

 

Ospina, like his idol Higuita, was born in Medellín, and progressed through the ranks at Atlético Nacional, before being fast-tracked to first-team action as a teenager. Despite standing at six feet tall, relatively short in goalkeeping terms, Ospina made his senior debut in the Copa Libertadores in 2005, when he was just 17 years old.

 

The then-prodigal talent heavily impressed in Colombia, earning a call-up to the national team as a teenager and becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play for Colombia when he faced off against Bolivia in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the tender age of 18. Ospina won three league titles across his three seasons with the Atlético Nacional first team before eventually heading across the Atlantic and joining French side OGC Nice in January 2008.

 

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Despite racking up 97 appearances during his initial spell with his boyhood club, it was inevitable that he had unfinished business with Los Verdolagas. And after a 14-year spell that would see him ply his trade in France, England, Italy and Saudi Arabia, as well as represent Colombia in two World Cups, he returned to Medellín with the mission of making himself a Nacional icon, arriving on a free transfer on June 15, 2024.

 

David Ospina’s Heroic Return to Atlético Nacional

 

Ospina’s European career ended after inconsistent spells at Arsenal and Napoli, where he failed to establish himself as the clear number-one option, and he became one of several high-profile signings in the Saudi Pro League. After two seasons in the Middle East, Ospina decided that his swan song in football would be one based on passion, not finance, and he made a shock return to Atlético Nacional. 

 

When Ospina originally left Nacional, he was a promising talent aiming to follow in Higuita’s footsteps. His homecoming saw him arrive as Colombia’s most-capped player, a two-time FA Cup winner, and a Coppa Italia winner, and with the opportunity to confirm himself as a club legend.

 

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This was the chance for him to revive his career not just for club, but for country — Ospina started between the sticks for Los Cafeteros during the 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021 Copa América tournaments, captaining Colombia in the latter. However, after missing the entirety of 2023 with an elbow injury, he lost his place in the side. Ospina’s last competitive appearance came in March 2022, and whilst Camilo Vargas started in goal during Colombia’s run to the 2024 Copa final, Ospina was on the bench.

 

It remains to be seen whether or not Ospina will make his 130th cap for Colombia, but one thing’s clear: he has shown that he has plenty of fuel left in his tank. He made his long-awaited return on July 30 in a 1-0 loss to CD La Equidad, before starting the following match vs. Rionegro Áquila, where he suffered a muscle injury that kept him for a month. Ospina was back for their cup match vs. Alianza FC on September 16, where he would last 84 minutes before coming off due to yet another injury.

 

Ospina made his way back to full fitness on October 19, and just like he has done in every single match during his second spell with Nacional, he wore the armband. The veteran shot-stopper started both legs of their Copa Colombia quarterfinal vs. Jaguares FC, guiding them to a 5-2 aggregate victory, before starting in their next two league matches vs. Fortaleza CEIF and Independiente Santa Fe and the first leg of their cup semifinal vs. Independiente Medellín.

 

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Despite finishing fifth in the 19-game regular season, Atlético Nacional were able to qualify for the league playoffs as one of the eight highest-ranked teams in the 20-team league. Ospina started in all six matches of the semifinals as El Verde de la Montaña won four matches, drew once and lost once, finishing atop their group of Millonarios, Deportivo Pasto and Santa Fe, and booking their ticket to the final.

 

Atletico Nacional’s Colombian Cup victory

 

With Ospina between the sticks, Atlético headed into the final weeks of 2024 with the chance of achieving a remarkable feat: a domestic double. He was poised and precise in the league finals, excelling in their 1-1 draw at Deportes Tolima before holding firm in the second leg vs. Tolima, as Nacional prevailed 2-0 to claim a league record 18th championship.

 

Over in the cup, Atlético made it all the way to the final, where they faced off against archrivals América de Cali. I was in attendance at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín to see Nacional’s first-leg final clash. Ospina received a rousing reception from the home fans, who created a cauldron of noise with a spectacular firework display to welcome the teams onto the pitch, but disaster struck as the visitors took the lead as Duván Vergara unleashed an unstoppable shot out of Ospina’s reach.

 

 

However, a second-half turnaround saw Atlético Nacional convincingly win 3-1, and whilst he had little to do in terms of shot-stopping in the second half, Ospina’s experience and cool head helped the back line improve their build-up play. The goalkeeper switched up his goal kicks to find players further up the pitch, rather than playing it short into his centre-backs, who constantly played themselves into danger in the first half.

 

He would follow that up by keeping a clean sheet in Cali and leading them to a record seventh Copa Colombia — his first-ever Copa Colombia. Higuita was in the dugout as Nacional’s goalkeeping coach, watching another iconic Colombian goalkeeper lead their team to their first league and cup double since 2013.

 

“Players like David Ospina and Falcao give Colombian professional football a plus at a national and international level.” Higuita stated as Ospina and legendary striker Radamel Falcao faced each other in a recent clash between Millonarios and Atlético Nacional. “They no longer have anything to prove to anyone, they should be applauded.”

 

 

At 36 years of age, David Ospina Ramírez has already won silverware with Colombia, Napoli and Arsenal, but perhaps nothing has been quite as sweet as the domestic glory of 2024. He left Atlético Nacional a boy and returned as a man, and he has solidified his status as an iconic figure in El Verde Paisa’s illustrious history.

 

By: Rahul Lakhani / @LaLigaLondon

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Omar Vega / Getty Images

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