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Tefilo Gutierrerz, aka Teo, is the Colombian striker who has been charged with the task of replacing the county’s star striker, Falcao, at World Cup in Brazil. With a goal in Colombia’s opening game against Greece and a starring role in his second game against the Ivory Coast, Gutierrez looks like he is relishing his chance.
Here’s what you need to know about this South American star:
1. Teo Started His Career With His Local Team
The 29-year-old player began his career in his native Colombia with his local team, Barranquila, which is also his home town when he was 21. Luckily for Teo, his small team are a feeder team to the much bigger club, Atletico Junior. He only had to spend one season in the small leagus before he was called to the Atletico senior team in 2007. His record at Barranquila was 16 goals in 28 games.
2. He Was One of the Top Players in the Colombian League
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He eventually made a name for himself in the 2009 season with Atletico Juinor. Teo had struggled to get in the first team during his first two seasons with the club. At the end of the 2009 season, Teo had a record of 14 goals, just four behind Jackson Martinez who finished as the league’s top scorer. Teo’s total record with Atletico Junior was 42 goals in 79 games.
3. He Tried to Play in Europe
In 2010, Teo decided to make the move to Europe to play for Turkish team Trabzonspor. His transfer fee was $3 million. He never adjusted to life in a different continent but managed eight goals in 23 games. He was however MVP in the team’s Super Cup victory over Bursaspor in 2010, he scored a hat-trick in the game. In February 2011, Teo abruptly left Turkey for Argentina, claiming to have a medical problem. He did not have the permission of his Turkish team to move. Eventually after it was clear that Teo didn’t want to play in Turkey anymore, his coaches allowed him to move to Racing Club in Argentina.
4. He Became a Journeyman
After his move to Argentina, Teo began a nomadic streak. His time at Racing Club ended after a few short months when he was accused of threatening a team mate with a paint ball gun in the locker room. From Racing Club, he went to another Argentine team, Lanus. His spell there ended when he moved to Colombia from Argentina, lying to Lanus and telling the team that he was on international duty. In 2012, he moved to Mexico to play for Cruz Azul. He was never used much by the team and was behind Mariono Pavone for most of the season. By the end of one season, he wanted to move again, this time back to Argentina to play for one of the giants of world soccer, River Plate. After a difficult transfer, Teo finally played his first game for River Plate against Colon in 2013, a game that he scored in.
5. Teo Has a 1 in 3 Record For Colombia
He played his first game for Colombia in August 2009 against El Salvador, a game he scored in. He has since played 32 times for Colombia and scored 13 goals.
