Independiente Medellín facts for kids
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| Full name | Deportivo Independiente Medellín | |||
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| Nickname(s) | El Rojo Paisa (The Paisa Red) El Poderoso de la Montaña (The Mighty of the Mountain) El Decano (The Dean) El Equipo del Pueblo (The People's Team) El Rey de Corazones (The King of Hearts) Medallo |
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| Short name | DIM | |||
| Founded | 14 November 1913 as Medellín Foot Ball Club | |||
| Ground | Estadio Atanasio Girardot | |||
| Capacity | 40,943 | |||
| Chairman | Juan Camilo Restrepo | |||
| Manager | Alejandro Restrepo | |||
| League | Categoría Primera A | |||
| 2023 | Primera A, 4th of 20 | |||
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Deportivo Independiente Medellín, often called Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a professional football club from Medellín, Colombia. They play in the top Colombian league, Categoría Primera A. Their home stadium is Estadio Atanasio Girardot, which can hold 40,943 people. They share this stadium with their city rivals, Atlético Nacional. The team is nicknamed "El Poderoso de la Montaña" (The Mighty of the Mountain) because Medellín is located high up in the Andes mountains.
Independiente Medellín was founded in 1913, making it one of the oldest clubs in Colombia. They have won the Categoría Primera A six times (in 1955, 1957, 2002, 2004, 2009, and 2016). They have also won the Copa Colombia three times (in 1981, 2019, and 2020). Their best international performance was in 2003, when they reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, a very important South American tournament.
The club has a big rivalry with Atlético Nacional. Their matches are called El Clásico Paisa, and it's one of the most exciting football games in Colombia.
Contents
Club History
Starting the Club
Independiente Medellín started on November 14, 1913. It was first named Medellín Foot Ball Club. Three brothers, Alberto, Luis, and Rafael Uribe Piedrahíta, founded the team. Their very first game was against an amateur team called Sporting of Medellín, and they lost 11–0.
In 1948, Medellín joined professional football. They played in the first-ever professional league. They finished seventh out of 10 teams. Their first professional game was a 4–0 loss to América de Cali. But they got their first win soon after, beating Junior 3–2.
In the 1950s, many foreign players came to play in Colombia. Medellín signed Peruvian player Segundo Castillo Varela. He had won a big title with his country in 1939. In 1952 and 1953, the club faced money problems and didn't play. In 1953, the club got new leaders and changed its name to Deportivo Independiente Medellín.
First Big Wins
The team won its first league title in 1955. They finished first with 31 points and only one loss. Argentine player Felipe Marino was the top scorer with 22 goals. Just two years later, in 1957, they won their second title. Many of the same players were on the team. José Vicente Grecco was the top scorer that year.
In 1966, Medellín played in the Copa Libertadores for the first time. This is a huge tournament for South American clubs. They finished second in the league to qualify. They played against famous teams like Racing de Avellaneda and River Plate. They were eliminated in the group stage. After 27 years, they qualified for the Copa Libertadores again in 1994. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to Junior.
Independiente Medellín won its first Copa Colombia in 1981. This title is recognized by CONMEBOL, the South American football organization.
Close Calls and New Triumphs
In 1993, Medellín almost won the league title. On the last day, they were tied on points with Atlético Junior. Medellín won their game 1–0 against Atlético Nacional. But Junior scored a very late goal in their match, winning 3–2. This meant Junior won the title, and Medellín's players and fans were very sad.
The club had a strong season in 1999. They reached the finals of the Finalización tournament against city rivals Nacional. However, Nacional won the final 1–0, and Medellín missed out on a spot in the 2000 Copa Libertadores.
In 2001, Medellín came close to winning their third league title. They lost the final to América de Cali. But they had an amazing run to get to the final, starting from 10th place in the regular season.
After 45 years, Medellín finally won its third league title in 2002. They won the Finalización tournament under coach Víctor Luna. They beat Deportivo Pasto 3–1 over two games. Mauricio Molina scored a key goal in the second game from a free-kick.
Winning in 2002 gave them a spot in the 2003 Copa Libertadores. They did very well, winning their group against strong teams like Boca Juniors. They even beat Boca Juniors 1–0! They then beat Cerro Porteño and Grêmio to reach the semi-finals. They faced Santos and lost 4–2 over two games. They were very close to reaching the final.
In 2004, Medellín and Nacional played in the final of the Apertura tournament. This was the first time two teams from Medellín played each other in a league final. Medellín won the first game 2–1. The second game ended 0–0, making Medellín the champions with a 2–1 total score. This was their fourth league title.
In the 2005 Copa Libertadores, they won their group again. They even beat Atletico Paranaense 4–0 away from home. But they lost in the next round to Banfield.
In 2008, they almost won their fifth title but lost the final to América de Cali. However, in 2009, they won their fifth title! Under coach Leonel Álvarez, they beat Atlético Huila 3–2 over two games. That season, Jackson Martinez scored 18 goals, setting a new league record at the time.
Recent Successes
In the 2010s, DIM often reached the finals. In 2012, they lost the final to Millonarios in a penalty shootout. In 2014, they were runners-up to Independiente Santa Fe. Six months later, they reached another final but lost to Deportivo Cali.
Finally, in 2016, the club won its sixth league title! They finished first in the regular season. Then they beat Deportivo Cali and Cortuluá in the playoffs. In the final, they played against Junior. The first game was a 1–1 draw. Medellín won the second game 2–0 with two goals from Christian Marrugo, winning the title 3–1 overall.
This 2016 title earned them a spot in the 2017 Copa Libertadores. They played against River Plate, Emelec, and Melgar. They finished third in their group. They then moved to the 2017 Copa Sudamericana, where they lost to Racing Club. A big moment was beating River Plate 2–1 at their home stadium.
Rivalries
Medellín's biggest rivalry is with Atlético Nacional, the other major club in the city. Both teams share the same stadium, Atanasio Girardot. Atlético Nacional has won more titles overall. However, Nacional has never beaten Medellín in a final, as Medellín won their 2004 final match. This was a big surprise because Nacional's team was considered much stronger.
The rivalry is very strong between their main fan groups. Medellín's fans are called Rexixtenxia Norte, and Atlético Nacional's fans are Los Del Sur. These groups are named after where they stand in the stadium: Rexixtenxia Norte is behind the northern goal, and Los Del Sur are behind the southern goal. Sometimes, for safety, only fans of one team are allowed into the stadium.
The first Clásico Paisa was played on September 12, 1948. Medellín won that game 3–0. Over 300 matches have been played between the two clubs.
Medellín also has smaller rivalries with other clubs nearby, like Rionegro Águilas, Leones, and Envigado. Even though these teams haven't won top league titles, their games are still popular because they are so close geographically.
Club Achievements
Domestic Titles
- Categoría Primera A (Top League)
- Winners (6): 1955, 1957, 2002–II, 2004–I, 2009–II, 2016–I
- Copa Colombia (Cup Tournament)
- Winners (3): 1981, 2019, 2020
- Superliga Colombiana
- Runners-up (1): 2017
Regional Titles
- Campeonato Nacional
- Winners (7): 1918, 1920, 1922, 1930, 1936, 1937, 1938
- Campeonato Departamental
- Winners (8): 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945
Friendly Tournaments
- Copa Jimenez Jaramillo (1): 1923
- Copa Club Unión: 1942
- Triangular ‘Trofeo Coltejer’: 1955
- Torneo "Medellín sin tugurios": 1983
- Copa Montreal (Canada): 1992
- Copa DC United: 1994
- Copa Ciudad de Popayán: 2005
- Copa Gobernación de Antioquia: 2008, 2010
- Copa del Pacífico: 2009
International Competitions
- Copa Libertadores: 10 appearances
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- 1967: First round
- 1994: Quarter-finals
- 2003: Semi-finals (third place)
- 2005: Round of 16
- 2009: Group stage
- 2010: Second round
- 2017: Group stage
- 2019: Second stage
- 2020: Group stage
- 2023: Group stage
- Copa Sudamericana: 6 appearances
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- 2006: First round
- 2016: Quarter-finals
- 2017: First round
- 2018: First round
- 2022: Group stage
- 2023: Knockout round play-offs
- Copa Conmebol: 1 appearance
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- 1995: First round
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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World Cup Players
These players represented their country at the FIFA World Cup while playing for Independiente Medellín:
Héctor Echeverri (1962)- Efraín "Caimán" Sánchez (1962)
Alfredo Mendoza (1986)- Gabriel Jaime Gómez (1990)
- Adolfo Valencia (1998)
- Aldo Bobadilla (2010)
Club Statistics
Top Scorers
| No. | Name | Goals | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German Cano | 129 |  |
| 2 | José Vicente Grecco | 92 | |
| 3 | Carlos Castro | 91 | |
| 4 | Felipe Marino | 77 | |
| 5 | Jorge Serna | 75 | |
| 6 | Diego Álvarez | 69 | |
| 7 | Uriel Cadavid | 65 | |
| 8 | Perfecto Rodríguez | 64 | |
| 9 | Jackson Martinez | 56 | |
| 10 | Jaime Castrillón | 55 | |
Most Appearances
| No. | Name | Games | Country |
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| 1 | Héctor Echeverri | 457 | |
| 2 | Ricardo Calle | 418 | |
| 3 | Roberto Carlos Cortés | 351 | |
| 4 | Ponciano Castro | 342 | |
| 5 | David González | 337 | |
| 6 | John Restrepo | 335 | |
| 7 | José Zárate | 318 | |
| 8 | Álvaro Escobar | 315 | |
| 9 | Carlos Castro | 292 | |
| 10 | Rodolfo Avila | 283 | |
See also
In Spanish: Deportivo Independiente Medellín para niños
