Duvan Zapata

Duvan Esteban Zapata Banguero (American Spanish: [duˈβan saˈpata]; born 1 April 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Atalanta and the Colombia national team.

After starting his career with Colombian club America de Cali, he later played for Estudiantes in Argentina. From 2013, he played in Italy's Serie A, for Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria, and Atalanta.

At international level, Zapata made his senior debut for Colombia in 2017, and took part at the 2019 and 2021 Copa America.

Club Career

Estudiantes

In 2011, Zapata who got the nickname "The Black Coloncoro", joined Estudiantes on loan for a $120,000 loan fee with an option for Estudiantes to purchase for $1.2 million. On his debut, Zapata scored a goal in a 3–2 win over Belgrano. During his first year with Estudiantes, Zapata would occasionally make appearances with their reserve team. Despite this, he still managed to score four goals in eight matches in the Torneo Clausura 2012. That year, within both the Apertura and Clasura, Zapata scored 5 goals in 11 matches. During the summer of 2012, Estudiantes purchased half of Zapata's playing rights from America de Cali.

For the 2013–13 season, Zapata featured in Estudiantes' starting 11, eventually turning into a fundamental part of the team and attracting interest from European clubs.

In July 2013, English Premier League club West Ham United applied for a British work permit for Zapata ahead of a possible transfer from Estudiantes. Although not meeting the usual requirements for a permit, West Ham attempted to secure his arrival by claiming he was a "special talent" who would enhance the English game. However, West Ham's owners soon announced on social media they were pulling out of the deal.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Дуван Сапата (russian)