When midfielder Eberechi Eze joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in the summer for an initial £60m fee, part of the attraction would have been the opportunity to play alongside some of the best players in the Premier League.
Working under manager Mikel Arteta, the Englishman would have been more than excited to line up with the likes of Gabriel, William Saliba, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard on match day. And with five goal contributions in 15 outings for the Gunners, Eze has already shown glimpses of his own special talent as he settles into his new environment.
Now roughly three months into his time in North London, the 27-year-old has had the opportunity to get to know his teammates pretty well, and he was recently asked to talk about which player has impressed him the most. The name he chose, however, may come as a surprise to some.
Eze Impressed by Dutch Defender Timber
Speaking on Goal’s Beast Mode On Podcast, Eze spoke about life at Arsenal. Talking specifically about which player had impressed him the most, he singled out Jurrien Timber for praise:
“Everyone is sort of what you expect them to be. The expectation of all the players is high. I’ll say one player who has gone even beyond the high expectation I already had – because I’d heard good things about him – was Jurrien Timber. He’s a special player and a special guy.
“I think for me, in an environment of people and you have a culture that is geared towards improving, these guys all want to improve. So for me it’s a pleasure to be part of it and to see guys like him who perform the way they perform, who carry themselves the way they carry themselves. It’s inspiring, for sure.”
While there can be no doubting Timber’s quality – many would rank him among the best right-backs in the world right now – he’s not exactly the first name one might expect to come up in this particular debate. Indeed, the likes of Saka, Rice, and Odegaard might more regularly be touted as the most impressive figures out of Arsenal.
With that in mind, it only goes to show just how hard Timber must work behind the scenes under Arteta. The right-back has played in every Champions League and Premier League game so far this season, conceding just five goals across those 15 appearances.
Eze Previously Praised ‘Most Skifull’ Odegaard
It’s not the first time Eze has spoken about his early impressions of his new teammates at Arsenal. Back in October, he revealed that he’d been impressed by Martin Odegaard, whom he dubbed the club’s most skilful player. On top of that, he claimed that Noni Madueke was the fastest in the squad. He added that the English winger was also the funniest, alongside Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Unsurprisingly, he listed Saka as the one star he’d always want in his team, while noting that Rice had the best engine in the Arsenal team. Finally, he was asked to reveal which player could make a good future manager and he said: “David Raya. He’s got that personality. Would I like to play under David Raya? Yeah, he’s got good ideas.”
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Colombian football has been home to some memorable moments and standout individual talents throughout the sport’s history.
Los Cafeteros have featured in numerous World Cups and have been regarded among the more successful participants in the Copa America as well. They are one of eight teams to have earned the mantle of South American champions, after their emphatic triumph as hosts in 2001, and have reached a further two finals in addition.
Colombia has also seen a plethora of electrifying talents dominate local ranks in the country, before invading European club football. These players have also contributed massively to their national team, with their names subsequently endeared into the hearts of fans.
That said, here is a ranking of 15 such Colombian players considered among the greatest to have ever graced the sport.
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15 Santiago Arias
Career Span: 2009-Present
Luisa Gonzalez via Reuters
Few full-backs have represented Colombia as dependably and consistently as Santiago Arias. After developing his game in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon, the most successful spell of his career arrived at PSV Eindhoven, where he won multiple Eredivisie titles and built a reputation as one of the league’s finest right-backs.
That form earned him a move to Atletico Madrid, where he continued competing at the top level of European football. He became a regular fixture for Colombia during a strong period for the national team, featuring at two World Cups and several Copa America tournaments, earning over 60 caps.
14 Juan Pablo Angel
Career Span: 1993-2014
Wherever Juan Pablo Angel played, goals tended to follow. After making his name with Atletico Nacional, he moved to River Plate and quickly became one of the most feared forwards in South American football, picking up a string of domestic honours along the way. His finishing eventually earned him a move to Aston Villa in the Premier League, where he spent seven seasons and found the net more than 60 times for the club in all competitions. He would leave Aston Villa and spend five years in the MLS as one of their best and most consistent strikers.
Angel was incredibly talented in the air and clinical in front of goal, consistently scoring through intelligent movement. His contribution at international level is one of the only reasons he isn’t higher on this list, with him never playing in a major tournament for Colombia. Despite this, he still managed a respectable 9 goals in 33 matches.
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13 Carlos Bacca
Career Span: 2007-Present
Christian Hartmann via Reuters
Not every footballer arrives via an academy and a glittering youth career, and Carlos Bacca’s story proves it. Bacca would sell fish and worked as a bus conductor to help support his family as a youngster, before becoming one of Colombia’s best strikers. He found his way to Europe at 24-years-old, where he enjoyed productive spells at Club Brugge, Sevilla, AC Milan and Villarreal.
He was particularly effective in Spain, helping Sevilla to back-to-back Europa League titles. He scored twice in the 2015 final before winning it again with Villareal in 2021, beating Manchester United on penalties. He went on to represent Colombia at a pair of World Cups and Copa America tournaments, earning over 50 caps.
International Stats
Caps
52
Goals
16
12 Andres Escobar
Career Span: 1986-1994
Ruben Sprich via Reuters
Andres Escobar earned the nickname ‘The Gentleman of Football’ for good reason, admired as much for his character off the pitch as his composure on it. The elegant centre-back spent the majority of his club career at Atletico Nacional and became a regular in Colombia’s highly regarded national team during the early 1990s.
He represented Colombia at the 1990 World Cup, their first in 28 years, and once again in 1994. His tragic death shortly after the 1994 World Cup is still to this day one of the most harrowing stories to come out of a World Cup. After Escobar’s own-goal that saw Colombia eliminated from the tournament, he was shot six times in the car park of a nightclub less than a week later in Medelin. He passed away at the age of just 27.
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11 Freddy Rincon
Career Span: 1991-2013
Nick Potts via Action Images
There have been few midfielders in Colombian history capable of dominating a game quite like Freddy Rincon. Known to fans as “El Coloso” (The Colossus), he was a central figure in the Colombian side that rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early ’90s. He represented his country at three World Cups and scored one of the most iconic goals in Colombian football history, equalising against West Germany at Italia ’90 to help his nation reach the knockout stages for the first time.
His club career took him across South America and into Europe, where he became one of the first Colombians to wear the famous white shirt of Real Madrid. Despite being only 55-years-old, Rincon passed away after a car accident in Cali, but his footballing memory lives on with his son, who plays professionally in India.
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10 David Ospina
Career Span: 2005-Present
After a six-year spell with French outfit OGC Nice as first-choice between the sticks, David Ospina largely switched to the role of understudy. With four seasons each for Arsenal and Napoli, the Medellin-born man was a pillar of consistency for both sides. Albeit not a starter at the forefront, his goalkeeping talent in tandem with a calm demeanor made him a useful squad player.
Though having lifted a fair few pieces of silverware in his club career, much of his legacy undeniably stems from his work with the Colombia national team. A trusted guardian of the goal, Ospina was pivotal in his country’s run to the quarter-finals in the 2014 World Cup, and he has played a similar crucial role in a total of six major international tournaments, amassing a national record of caps that’s still being added to.
9 Juan Cuadrado
Career Span: 2008-Present
Juan Cuadrado’s ability to shift seamlessly between attack and defense has made him an indispensable asset to every side he featured in, and his pinpoint crosses and fearless dribbles eventually became his signature. With his skillset, the wide man found his place in Serie A, where he was able to run riot on the right flank, tearing defenses apart.
Registering over 100 appearances for his national team, Cuadrado ranks among the longest-serving Colombians in history, and in particular, his extraordinary display in the 2014 World Cup earned him further widespread plaudits and endeared him to the country’s fans.
8 Mario Yepes
Career Span: 1994–2015
Mario Yepes’ adventurous career took him to several corners of the world. After initially travelling around his home continent, he earned a strong reputation by starring for local Colombian clubs, as well as River Plate in Argentina. Subsequently, the Cali-born international switched to Europe, and went on to feature for top outfits including Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, even winning the division title with the latter.
But a key factor in Yepes’ legacy lies in his performances for his nation as a stalwart captain. Embodying his country’s fighting spirit, he helped guide Colombia to some of their best performances both in the World Cup and the Copa America.
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7 Luis Diaz
Career Span: 2016-Present
Luis Diaz broke through the ranks in European football initially with Porto, with his electric pace and flair easy on the eye for fans in Portugal. After his switch to Liverpool in 2022, the Reds saw the same weaves and tricks from the Colombian at Anfield, who quickly established himself as a key player after the departure of Sadio Mane. Diaz would score 13 goals and provide 7 assists to become a Premier League champion in the 2024/25 season.
This led to a £70 million move to Bayern Munch, in where Diaz is part of one of the most lethal attacking trios of all-time. Alongside Harry Kane and Michael Olise, the trio combined for 109 goals, the fifth-most of any trio since 2000. For his country, he has been among the most influential in recent years, even sweeping up the 2021 Copa America Golden Boot as joint top-scorer and making it to the final in 2024.
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6 Ivan Cordoba
Career Span: 1993-2012
Colombia’s iconic triumph in 2001 goes down as one of the greatest achievements in the nation’s history, where Los Cafeteros conquered South America and lifted the first and, till date, the only, Copa America title. The man who enabled such a feat? It was Ivan Cordoba.
A formidable defender, Cordoba had already contributed massively at the back in the tournament, but the former Inter Milan star rose to the occasion in the 65th minute of the tournament’s final, netting the game winner for his country. Alongside his accomplishments with Colombia, Cordoba was a loyal servant to the blue side of Milan as well, recording five Scudettos and a Champions League to his name with I Nerazzurri.
