Atlético Junior
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| Full name | Club Deportivo Popular Junior |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
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| Short name | Junior |
| Founded | 7 August 1924 as Juventud Infantil |
| Ground | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez |
| Capacity | 46,692 |
| Owner | Fuad Char |
| President | Antonio Char |
| Coach | Julio Comesaña |
| League | Categoría Primera A |
| 2016 | 5th |
| Website | Club home page |
Club Atlético Junior, commonly known as Atlético Junior, or simply as Junior, is a Colombian professional football team based in Barranquilla, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. Junior is the northernmost team in Colombia and the main Caribbean team in the Categoría Primera A.
The club was founded in August 7, 1924. Known as Los Tiburones (The Sharks), or El Equipo Tiburón (The Shark Team). Junior have won the Colombian professional football championship seven times (1977, 1980, 1993, 1995, 2004, 2010, and 2011). Some of the most notable players that have played for the club include Heleno de Freitas, Garrincha, Dida, Juan Ramón Verón, Efraín Sánchez, Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama, Iván Valenciano, Teófilo Gutiérrez, Carlos Bacca, Julio César Uribe, Giovanni Hernández and Sebastián Viera.
In the early 1920s a team named Juventus came into being at the Colegio Salesiano in the San Roque neighborhood of Barranquilla, unsurprisingly given the name made up primarily of Italian immigrants. Soon after its launch the name was changed to the Spanish Juventud, though both translate the same in English - youth. In August 1924 some of the younger members of Juventud along with other young men from San Roque created an offshoot of Juventud - Juventud Infantil.
Around the 1940s (and the club's name was shortened to simply Junior) they became known as one of the country's best clubs. In 1945 the players of Junior were selected to represent Colombia at the South American Championship (now known as the Copa América), finishing a respectable fifth (though losing 7–0 to Uruguay and 9–1 to Argentina along the way). In 1949 they were again selected to represent Colombia (finishing last place) but this time their decision to play would have its consequences.
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