In his neighborhood of La Victoria, Valle del Cauca, doors were closed on Gustavo Puerta before they were opened. The same people who saw him grow up told him his body was not that of a soccer player. His first team was called Victoria Valle, and there the verdict was clear: too chubby to go far.
Today he is 22 years old, he has just been promoted with Racing de Santander to Spain’s First Division, and he started for Colombia against Jordan on June 7, 2026 in the final stretch before the World Cup. His debut with the senior national team, in November 2025 against New Zealand, made an immediate mark on him: a goal in the 3rd minute. To get to Europe, he added a chef, fitness trainer, and kinesiologist to his daily life — because he knew exactly what they had told him and exactly what he wanted to prove.
Hernán Pacheco, the coach who did bet on him at Bogotá FC, summed it up bluntly: “Many coaches did not want him because of his physique.” Puerta listened to all of them. And then he went out to play. 🎯