Atlético Junior

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Association football club in Colombia

title: "Atlético Junior" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["atlético-junior", "football-clubs-in-colombia", "association-football-clubs-established-in-1924", "1924-establishments-in-colombia", "categoría-primera-a-clubs", "sport-in-barranquilla"] description: "Association football club in Colombia" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlético_Junior" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Association football club in Colombia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox football club"]

FieldValue
clubnameJunior
imageESCUDO JUNIOR.svg
image_size215px
fullnameClub Deportivo Popular Junior Fútbol Club S.A.
nickname{{plainlist
founded(as Juventud Infantil)
groundEstadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez
capacity46,692
owntitle
ownerFuad Char
chrtitlePresident
chairmanAntonio Char
mgrtitle
managerAlfredo Arias
league
season
position
website
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pattern_b1_junior26h
pattern_ra1_junior26h
pattern_sh1_junior26h
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body1FFFFFF
rightarm1FFFFFF
shorts1000066
socks1FFFFFF
pattern_la2_junior25a
pattern_b2_junior25a
pattern_ra2_junior25a
pattern_sh2_junior25a
leftarm25e627d
body25e627d
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pattern_b3_junior25t
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::

| clubname = Junior | image = ESCUDO JUNIOR.svg | image_size = 215px | alt = | caption = | fullname = Club Deportivo Popular Junior Fútbol Club S.A. | nickname = {{plainlist|

  • Los Tiburones (The Sharks)
  • El Equipo Tiburón (The Shark Team)
  • Los Rojiblancos (The Red-and-Whites)
  • Los Quilleros (The Quilleros)
  • Los Reyes de la Costa (The Kings of the Coast)
  • Los Curramberos (The Curramberos)
  • Tu Papá (Your Dad) | founded = (as Juventud Infantil) | dissolved = | American = | ground = Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez | capacity = 46,692 | coordinates = | owntitle = | owner = Fuad Char | chrtitle = President | chairman = Antonio Char | mgrtitle = | manager = Alfredo Arias | league = | season = | position = | website = | pattern_la1 = _junior26h | pattern_b1 = _junior26h | pattern_ra1 = _junior26h | pattern_sh1 = _junior26h | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = FFFFFF | body1 = FFFFFF | rightarm1 = FFFFFF | shorts1 = 000066 | socks1 = FFFFFF | pattern_la2 = _junior25a | pattern_b2 = _junior25a | pattern_ra2 = _junior25a | pattern_sh2 = _junior25a | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = 5e627d | body2 = 5e627d | rightarm2 = FFFFFF | shorts2 = 5e627d | socks2 = FFFFFF | pattern_la3 = _junior25t | pattern_b3 = _junior25t | pattern_ra3 = _junior25t | pattern_sh3 = _junior25t | pattern_so3 = | leftarm3 = FFFFFF | body3 = FFFFFF | rightarm3 = FFFFFF | shorts3 = FFFFFF | socks3 = E01331 | current = Club Deportivo Popular Junior F.C. S.A. (), commonly known as Junior de Barranquilla, by its old name Atlético Junior or simply as Junior, is a Colombian professional football team based in Barranquilla, capital of the department of Atlantico, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. Junior is the main Caribbean team in the top flight of Colombian football. As of 2022, they sit in the 25th place of the best South American teams.

The club was founded on 7 August 1924. Known as Los Tiburones (The Sharks), or El Equipo Tiburón (The Shark Team). Junior have won the Colombian professional football championship eleven times (1977, 1980, 1993, 1995, 2004 Finalización, 2010 Apertura, 2011 Finalización, 2018 Finalización, 2019 Apertura, 2023 Finalización, and 2025 Finalización). 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, Sebastián Viera and Luis Díaz.

History

In the early 1920s a team named Juventus came into being at the Colegio Salesiano in the San Roque neighborhood of Barranquilla, 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.

In 1948 Junior were founder members of División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (commonly known as the Dimayor). Their debut match as a professional outfit came at home on 15 August 1948, against Deportivo Cali, which ended in a 2–0 victory for the home side. Early the following year they were again chosen to play as the de facto Colombia national team. Because of ongoing strife between Adefutbol (the original amateur Colombian football association) and the Dimayor, Junior were threatened with expulsion from the Dimayor if they participated. They went ahead and did so and were initially given a two-year suspension from the league. This was later reduced to one year and they returned to the Dimayor for the 1950 season.

This was the golden age of Colombian football commonly referred to as El Dorado, a time when the Dimayor was a "rebel league" unaffiliated with FIFA and many high-profile players from around the world broke their contracts and came to play. Junior were no exception, picking up players from Brazil, Argentina, Hungary and the Czech Republic in these years. But El Dorado eventually came to an end for Colombian football.

A way ahead surfaced in the mid-1960s when a rift had again developed in Colombian football, this time between Adefutbol and the newly created Federación Colombiana de Fútbol, an organization devoted to developing professional football in the country. Adefutbol was still the official body in the eyes of FIFA and organized the national team in this period and additionally Colombian clubs did not enter the Copa Libertadores. Peace was finally made and the bulk of the amateur team that had attempted to qualify for the England World Cup signed up for Junior, who returned to the Dimayor in 1966. Junior have remained in the top level ever since.

In 1977 Junior won their first Colombian championship, finishing first place in the Apertura. They won further championships in 1980, 1993, 1995, the 2004-II (Finalización), the 2010-I (Apertura), the 2011-II (Finalizacion), the 2018-II (Finalización), the 2019-I (Apertura) and the 2023-II (Finalización). They also won Copa Colombia in 2015 and 2017. Junior have appeared in the Copa Libertadores eighteen times (reaching the semi-finals in 1994), the Copa Sudamericana 8 times (reaching the final in 2018), and the Copa CONMEBOL 1 time.

Symbols

| align = right | total_width = 380

| image1 = ESCUDO JUNIOR.svg | alt1 = Badge | caption1 = Current badge with 10 stars

| image2 = Bandera de Atlético Junior.svg | alt2 = Flag | caption2 = Flag of Atlético Junior (2011–2018)

Badge

The team's badge has a Swiss shaped; proportionally 6 wide by 8 tall, divided into two horizontal stripes. The inferior stripe is divided into nine alternating vertical red and white stripes. The superior part is an horizontal dark blue stripe where the stars are placed. Each of the five-pointed stars represents a league championships the team has won. Superimposed on the vertical bars of red and white, is a horizontal white stripe that reads JUNIOR.

Flag

Junior's flag is composed of nine horizontal stripes, five red and four white ones which alternate, the superior and the inferior ones are red. Overlapped on top of the strips there is a blue triangle. This triangle occupies all the wide of the flag on its vertical side. The white five-pointed stars are superimposed on the triangle, symbolizing the Colombian championships won.

Honours

Domestic

Continental

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

  • Copa Libertadores: 18 appearances ::1971: Group stage ::1978: Group stage ::1981: Group stage ::1984: Group stage ::1994: Semifinals ::1996: Quarterfinals ::2000: Round of 16 ::2001: Round of 16 ::2005: Round of 16 ::2010: Preliminary round ::2011: Round of 16 ::2012: Group stage ::2017: Third stage ::2018: Group stage ::2019: Group stage ::2020: Group stage ::2021: Group stage ::2024: Round of 16

  • Copa Sudamericana: 10 appearances ::2004: Quarterfinals ::2015: Second stage ::2016: Quarterfinals ::2017: Semi-finals ::2018: Runners-up ::2020: Quarterfinals ::2021: Round of 16 ::2022: Group stage ::2023: First stage ::2025: Preliminary round

  • Copa CONMEBOL: 1 appearance ::1992: Quarter-finals

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

World Cup players

The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to Junior de Barranquilla.

Club captains

Personnel

Technical staff

Notable players

Most appearances

::data[format=table]

RankPlayerAppearances
1.URU Sebastián Viera627
2.COL Dulio Miranda445
3.COL Hayder Palacio432
4.COL Alexis Mendoza417
5.COL José María Pazo392
6.COL Gabriel Berdugo379
7.COL Víctor Pacheco367
8.COL Jesús Rubio363
9.COL Luis Grau341
10.BRA Othon Dacunha333
::

Most goals

::data[format=table]

RankPlayerGoals
1.COL Ivan Valenciano180
2.COL Carlos Bacca131
3.COL Teófilo Gutiérrez94
4.BRA Víctor Ephanor86
5.URU Nelson Silva Pacheco81
6.COL Víctor Pacheco78
7.COL Martín Arzuaga70
8.COL Vladimir Hernández65
9.COL Orlando Ballesteros56
10.BRA Marcos Cardoso55
::

Historic players

International players

The following players, despite not having been able to establish themselves as idols, had a stage as internationals with their national teams.

Managers

Main article: List of Junior F.C. managers

Affiliated clubs

References

References

  1. "DIMAYOR Official Website".
  2. "Junior de Barranquilla squad".
  3. "Junior". [[División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano.
  4. "Copa Libertadores".
  5. (23 June 2025). "Junior anuncia oficialmente la llegada de Alfredo Arias". [[El Heraldo (Colombia).
  6. (2 October 2024). "¿Cuántos equipos tienen los dueños de Junior de Barranquilla en el fútbol colombiano?". [[Noticias Caracol]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

atlético-juniorfootball-clubs-in-colombiaassociation-football-clubs-established-in-19241924-establishments-in-colombiacategoría-primera-a-clubssport-in-barranquilla