Atlético Junior facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Junior

Full name	Club Deportivo Popular Junior Fútbol Club S.A.
Nickname(s)	Los Tiburones (The Sharks) El Equipo Tiburón (The Shark Team) Los Rojiblancos (The Red-and-Whites) Los Quilleros (The Quilleros) Los Reyes de la Costa (The Kings of the Coast) Los Curramberos (The Curramberos) Tu Papá (Your Dad)
Founded	7 August 1924; 100 years ago (1924-08-07) as Juventud Infantil
Ground	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez
Ground Capacity	46,692
Owner	Fuad Char
President	Alejandro Char
Manager	César Farías
League	Categoría Primera A
2023	Primera A, 6th of 20 (Finalización champions)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Junior de Barranquilla is a famous professional football team from Barranquilla, Colombia. They are also known as Junior FC or simply Junior. This team plays in the top football league in Colombia, called the Categoría Primera A. Junior is considered the most important team from the Caribbean part of Colombia.

The club was started on August 7, 1924. Their main nicknames are Los Tiburones (The Sharks) or El Equipo Tiburón (The Shark Team). Junior has won the Colombian football championship ten times. These wins happened in 1977, 1980, 1993, 1995, 2004 (Finalización), 2010 (Apertura), 2011 (Finalización), 2018 (Finalización), 2019 (Apertura), and 2023 (Finalización). Many amazing players have played for Junior, including Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama, Iván Valenciano, Teófilo Gutiérrez, Carlos Bacca, and Luis Díaz.

Club History: How Junior Started

In the early 1920s, a football team called Juventus was formed in Barranquilla. It was mostly made up of young Italian immigrants. Soon, its name was changed to Juventud, which means "youth" in Spanish. In August 1924, some younger members of Juventud, along with other young men, created a new team. They called it Juventud Infantil, meaning "Youth Children."

Around the 1940s, the club's name became simply Junior. They quickly became known as one of the best teams in Colombia. In 1945, Junior's players were chosen to represent Colombia in a big tournament. This was the South American Championship, now known as the Copa América. They finished in a good fifth place.

Junior Joins Professional Football

In 1948, Junior was one of the founding teams of the División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (Dimayor). This was the start of professional football in Colombia. Junior's first professional game was on August 15, 1948. They played against Deportivo Cali at home and won 2-0.

The late 1940s was a special time for Colombian football, known as El Dorado. During this period, many famous players from around the world came to play in Colombia. Junior also brought in great players from Brazil, Argentina, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. This era eventually ended for Colombian football.

Returning to the Top League

In the mid-1960s, Junior returned to the Dimayor league in 1966. Since then, Junior has always played in the top division of Colombian football.

In 1977, Junior won their very first Colombian championship. They continued to win more championships in 1980, 1993, and 1995. They also won in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2019. Junior has also won the Copa Colombia twice, in 2015 and 2017. The team has played in the Copa Libertadores seventeen times. They even reached the semi-finals in 1994. Junior also made it to the final of the Copa Sudamericana in 2018.

Team Symbols

What Does the Badge Mean?

The team's badge looks like a shield. It has two main parts. The bottom part has nine vertical stripes, which are red and white. The top part is a blue stripe where the stars are placed. These stars have ten points each. Every star on the badge shows that the team has won a league championship.

The Junior Flag

Junior's flag has nine horizontal stripes. Five of these stripes are red, and four are white, alternating in color. The top and bottom stripes are red. On top of these stripes, there is a blue triangle. This triangle covers the entire width of the flag on its left side. White stars are placed on this blue triangle.

Flag of Atlético Junior

Team Achievements (Honours)

Junior has won many important titles!

In Colombia (Domestic)

• Categoría Primera A (Colombia's top league)
  • Winners (10 times): 1977, 1980, 1993, 1995, 2004–II, 2010–I, 2011–II, 2018–II, 2019–I, 2023–II
• Copa Colombia (Colombia's cup competition)
  • Winners (2 times): 2015, 2017
• Superliga Colombiana (A super cup played between league champions)
  • Winners (2 times): 2019, 2020

South American Competitions (Continental)

• Copa Sudamericana
  • Runners-up (1 time): 2018 (This means they reached the final but didn't win)

Junior in CONMEBOL Tournaments

Junior has played in several big South American football tournaments.

• Copa Libertadores: They have appeared 18 times.

1971: Group stage

1978: Group stage

1981: Group stage

1984: Group stage

1994: Semifinals (They reached the final four teams!)

1996: Quarterfinals

2000: Round of 16

2001: Round of 16

2005: Round of 16

2010: Preliminary round

2011: Round of 16

2012: Group stage

2017: Third stage

2018: Group stage

2019: Group stage

2020: Group stage

2021: Group stage

2024: Round of 16

• Copa Sudamericana: They have appeared 7 times.

2004: Quarterfinals

2015: Second stage

2016: Quarterfinals

2017: Semi-finals

2018: Runners-up (They played in the final!)

2020: Quarterfinals

2021: Round of 16

2022: Group stage

2023: First stage

• Copa CONMEBOL: They appeared 1 time.

1992: Quarter-finals

Players

Current Squad

Here are the players currently on Junior's team:

No. Position Player 2 DF Howell Mena 3 DF Edwin Herrera 5 DF Rafael Pérez 6 MF Didier Moreno (vice-captain) 7 MF Léider Berrío 8 FW Yimmi Chará 10 FW Luis González 13 MF Jhon Vélez 15 DF Yeferson Moreno 16 MF Yani Quintero (on loan from Deportes Quindio) 17 FW Marco Pérez 18 DF Emanuel Olivera 19 DF Carlos Cantillo (on loan from Barranquilla) 20 FW Joel Canchimbo 22 DF Jhon Lerma (on loan from Atlético Huila) 23 FW Stiven Rodríguez

No. Position Player 24 MF Víctor Cantillo 25 MF Andrés Colorado (on loan from Necaxa) 26 DF Jhon Navia 28 DF Jermein Peña 30 GK Jefersson Martínez 31 GK Jaime Acosta 33 MF Nicolás Zalazar 34 MF Léider Berdugo 70 FW Carlos Bacca (captain) 77 GK Santiago Mele 80 MF Roberto Hinojosa (on loan from Unión Magdalena) 88 FW Bryan Castrillón 90 DF Yairo Moreno 99 FW José Enamorado GK Sebastián Araujo

Players on Loan

Some players from Junior are currently playing for other teams for a set period:

No. Position Player MF Fabián Ángel (at Deportivo Cali until 31 December 2024) MF Kevin Padilla (at Fortaleza CEIF until 31 December 2024) FW Ferlys García (at Barranquilla until 31 December 2024)

World Cup Players from Junior

These players were part of their country's team at the FIFA World Cup while playing for Junior:

Club Captains

Here is a list of players who have been captains for Junior over the years:

• Hermenegildo Segrera (1966–1971)
• Dulio Miranda (1972–1973)
• Gabriel Berdugo (1974–1982)
• Dulio Miranda (1983–1985)
• Alexis Mendoza (1985–1990)
• Gabriel Martínez (1990–1992)
• Carlos Valderrama (1993–1995)
• Jorge Bolaño (1996–1999)
• Marquinho (1999–2004)
• Roberto Peñaloza (2004–2005)
• Hayder Palacio (2005–2007)
• Giovanni Hernández (2008–2012)
• Sebastián Viera (2012–2023)
• Carlos Bacca (2023–present)

Team Staff (Personnel)

Technical Staff

These are the people who manage and train the team:

Position	Staff
Manager	Arturo Reyes
Assistant manager	Luis Grau
Assistant manager	José María Pazo
Fitness coach	César Gaitán

Famous Players

Players with Most Games Played

This table shows the players who have played the most games for Junior:

Rank	Player	Appearances
1.	Sebastián Viera	627
2.	Dulio Miranda	445
3.	Hayder Palacio	432
4.	Alexis Mendoza	417
5.	José María Pazo	392
6.	Gabriel Berdugo	379
7.	Víctor Pacheco	367
8.	Jesús Rubio	363
9.	Luis Grau	341
10.	Othon Dacunha	333

Players with Most Goals Scored

This table shows the players who have scored the most goals for Junior:

Rank	Player	Goals
1.	Ivan Valenciano	180
2.	Carlos Bacca	116
3.	Teófilo Gutiérrez	94
4.	Víctor Ephanor	86
5.	Nelson Silva Pacheco	81
6.	Víctor Pacheco	78
7.	Martín Arzuaga	70
8.	Vladimir Hernández	65
9.	Orlando Ballesteros	56
10.	Marcos Cardoso	55

Historic Players

Here are some other important players who have played for Junior throughout its history:

International Players

These players also played for their national teams, even if they weren't the most famous players for Junior:

Managers

Famous Fans

Many well-known people are fans of Junior!

• Freddy Cricien, a hardcore punk singer.
• Diomedes Díaz, a vallenato singer.
• Martín Elías, another vallenato singer.
• Gabriel García Márquez, a famous writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982.
• Melissa Martínez Artuz, a journalist.
• Ernesto McCausland, a journalist, writer, and filmmaker.
• Rafael Orozco Maestre, a vallenato singer.
• Edgar Perea, a politician and football commentator.
• Shakira, the famous pop singer.
• Paulina Vega, a TV host, model, and Miss Universe 2014.
• Sofía Vergara, an actress.

Partner Clubs

• Barranquilla This club is currently in the second division of Colombian football.

See Also

In Spanish: Junior de Barranquilla para niños