Freddy Rincon, former captain of the Colombian national team, has died at the age of 55 as a result of a traffic accident.
His death was a great loss not only for his family and friends but also for the sport of the South American country, wrote the Colombian football federation FCF on Wednesday evening (local time).
FIFA and CONMEBOL also expressed their regret over Rincon’s death via Twitter. The midfielder’s goal at the 1990 World Cup in Italy in the group match against the future world champions Germany became famous when Rincon shot the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Bodo Illgner and into the net.
Three-time World Cup participant Rincon, revered in his homeland as the “Colossus of Buenaventura” in reference to his birthplace and stature, was injured in an accident in the south of the city of Cali on Monday and taken to a hospital.
Collision with a bus
Despite all the efforts of doctors, the 55-year-old died on Wednesday, the clinic has now announced. The car Rincon was in had collided with a bus. CONMEBOL paid tribute to him as a “great player and idol of Colombian football”.
Rincon, along with Carlos Valderrama and Faustino Asprilla, was part of the generation of outstanding players who qualified for a World Cup with Colombia three times in a row – in 1990, 1994 and 1998. Thanks to Rincon’s famous goal against Germany, Colombia progressed to the 1990 World Cup. At club level, Rincon played for America de Cali, Palmeiras Sao Paulo and Corinthians, SSC Napoli and Real Madrid, among others.
