FC Barcelona have two of their players competing for the 2024 Copa America, with Ronald Araujo and Raphinha being important members of the Uruguayan and Brazilian national teams respectively.
Raphinha’s national team is set to face one of the best performers in competition in their upcoming match, as it takes on Colombia in the final match of the group stage. This Colombia team is perhaps the most competitive one in the tournament, as it has now gone the last 25 matches without a defeat, and have enjoyed 10 consecutive victories since November 2023.
With players like Luis Diaz and Daniel Munoz in their squad, they have already defeated Paraguay and Costa Rica, and paved their way to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The right-back, Daniel Munoz, has been performing particularly well in the tournament, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, he has already mentioned playing for Barcelona as one of his three dreams for his footballing career.
Currently playing for Crystal Palace, the Colombian’s footballing journey in Europe started when he joined the Belgian side Genk in July 2020. He joined from the Colombian club Atletico Nacional, and it was at the time of this move that he made his aspirations for the future clear:
“For me, it’s going to be a great opportunity, this league can give me a lot to improve. And why not think and visualize that I can reach a league like the Premier League or La Liga, because my dream is to play for Barcelona, and Genk has sold and exported players like Courtois, Benteke, and De Bruyne.”
His admiration for Barcelona stems from two Brazilian legends at the Catalan club, as he himself explained at that time:
“As a child, my idol was always Ronaldinho when he played for Barcelona. In my youth divisions, I never played as a full-back; I was always a winger, and I looked up to players who were skillful and could change the game. Ronaldinho was the one I watched the most.”
“When I started playing as a full-back, I looked up to Dani Alves, observing his movements, how he attacked and defended, so in my position, he became an idol as well.”
The Colombian achieved one of his dreams, i.e., playing in the Premier League, when he joined Crystal Palace in January 2024. He made his debut in England in February, and played 16 games as a starter in the remaining part of the season, giving four assists during this period.
He also shared another dream of being a part of the Colombian national team, and was able to fulfill this dream as he made his international debut in June 2021 in a match against Peru. Up to now, he has made 29 appearances with his national side, 26 of them as a starter, and has already scored two goals.
Now, playing for FC Barcelona is the only dream that he has left to fulfill. He is valued at €18 million by Transfermarkt, and with the lack of a starting natural right-back in the team, if Cancelo is not retained, there would certainly be a place for him in the Blaugrana squad.
