Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga, unknowingly, would have sealed the end of his career and his life in the 35th minute of the match between United States and Colombia. The defender scored an own goal and put the North Americans ahead in the 2-1 defeat of the Cafeteros, which resulted in their elimination from the 1994 World Cup.
Exact moment of Andrés Escobar's own goal against the United States. Photo: AFP
A week later, the Colombian published a column in El Tiempo titled - paradoxically - "Life does not end here"; however, on July 2, 1994, 10 days after the own goal, the 'Gentleman of football' received six bullets that caused his death.
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The murder took place outside the El Indio nightclub in Medellín. The projectiles that hit the lung, neck, stomach, and left forearm were fired by Humberto Muñoz Castro, driver of the narcotraffickers David and Santiago Gallón Henao, who had some relationship with the boss Pablo Escobar Gaviria.
Humberto Muñoz Castro did not know that the person he killed was Andrés Escobar. Photo: El Tiempo
The officers were able to catch Muñoz and he was later sentenced to 43 years in prison. Prosecutor Jesús Albeiro Yepes, who handled the case, expressed to El Espectador: "After arguing with Pedro Gallón, Santiago, the older brother, arrived and told him: 'You don't know who you're messing with'. At that moment, the Gallón brothers' driver, Humberto Muñoz, quickly got out of the car. While Santiago continued repeating the same phrase to Andrés, he approached his car and emptied the revolver on him".
Monument in honor of Andrés Escobar. Photo: AFP
Since that moment, Andrés Escobar, the 'Gentleman of football', became a legend of Colombian soccer, but also one of the many victims of the violence that plagued the coffee country due to the war against drug trafficking.