Several Colombian footballers have had to migrate to other countries to fulfill their dream of playing professionally. Cases such as Carlos La Roca Sánchez, who became known in Uruguayan football, are just the tip of the iceberg of these life stories.
In recent days the name of Peru has been trending on social networks due to its qualification for the repechage heading to Qatar 2022. However, for several years this nation has welcomed many coffee football players who failed to take off in national football and have become figures in the Inca country.
One case in particular was that of former footballer Malher Tressor Moreno, who made his debut in Peruvian football with the Alianza Lima shirt in 1999 and his good performances led him to be signed by Atlético Nacional years later.
The saying “Nobody is a prophet in their land” applies to former central defender Manuel Santos Arboleda, who made his debut for Santa Fe in 2001 and later played for Deportes Tolima with which he was crowned champion in the tournament ending in 2003.
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After passing through the 'Vinotinto y oro', Santos Arboleda packed suitcases and migrated to Inca football to defend the colors of Cienciano de Cusco, which by then surprised the continent by winning the South American Cup by defeating River Plate and had also left Atlético Nacional on the way in the semifinals.
During his stay with the Cusco team, Manuel Santos Arboleda played a total of 66 matches and scored four goals and was the 2004 champion of the South American Cup after beating Boca Juniors.
His great campaign with Cienciano aroused the interest of several teams from the old continent and finally landed in 2006 to Polish football to play for Zagłębie Lubin, with which he won a league title and a super cup from that country.
After three seasons, Lech Poznań, a great from Poland, would set their sights on the Colombian player he signed in 2008. Santos Arboleda, played for six seasons in this club winning three titles.
In addition, he shared a dressing room between 2008 and 2010 with goalscorer Robert Lewandoski, who is currently playing for Bayern Munich in Germany, who at that time was only 20 years old and the vallecaucano was a key player in the striker's formation.
His good performance in Poland opened the doors of that country's national team when he was called up by the then coach Franciszek Smuda, for the qualifiers heading to Brazil 2014 but a ligament injury prevented him from being part of this process.
In dialogue with Libero from Peru, Manuel Santos Arboleda maintained that he always worked his best, even when he was at rest he preferred to train.
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