David Ospina

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this
Spanish name, the first or paternal surname
is Ospina and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.

David Ospina
Ospina with Colombia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name David Ospina Ramírez[1]
Date of birth (1988-08-31) 31 August 1988 (age 35)[1]
Place of birth Medellín, Colombia[2]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Al Nassr
Number 26
Youth career
Atlético Nacional
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2008 Atlético Nacional 97 (0)
2008–2014 Nice 189 (0)
2014–2019 Arsenal 29 (0)
2018–2019 →
Napoli
(loan)		 17 (0)
2019–2022
Napoli
 64 (0)
2022– Al Nassr 20 (0)
International career‡
2005–2007 Colombia U20 12 (0)
2007– Colombia 128 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Colombia
Copa América
Bronze medal – third place 2016
Bronze medal – third place 2021
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place 2006
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:39, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

David Ospina Ramírez (born 31 August 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Colombia national team.

Ospina began his career at

SPL side Al-Nassr
in 2022.

Ospina has represented his country at a full international level since 2007. At youth level, Ospina represented Colombia at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Notably, he was part of the Colombia squads that won gold at the 2005 Bolivarian Games and the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games. Upon his senior debut against Uruguay, he became the youngest goalkeeper to make an appearance for Colombia. He has since earned 128 caps for his nation, making him his nation's most capped player of all time, appearing at four Copa Américas and two World Cups.

Club career

Ospina with Atlético Nacional in 2008

Atlético Nacional

Ospina began his professional career in Categoría Primera A club Atlético Nacional in 2005.[4] Ospina played a total of 97 matches with the team, even being called to the national team. With the club, Ospina achieved three league titles. In mid-2008, Ospina was transferred to French club Nice.[5]

OGC Nice

Ospina playing for Nice in 2013

After three seasons at Atlético Nacional, at the age of 19, he was transferred to Nice in France for an undisclosed fee, believed to be about €2 million. Ospina was reportedly signed to become the long-term replacement of Hugo Lloris, who had transferred to Lyon for €8.5 million. However, Ospina served as a substitute to Lionel Letizi for the first few months of his career, before breaking into the first team.

Frédéric Antonetti, the manager of Nice who brought Ospina to the club, said, "He has everything you need to be a top goalkeeper. He's good in the air and he's good on the ground. He has that little extra something to be a champion. Hugo Lloris was an international-standard goalkeeper; so is David."[6]

Four years into his career at Nice, Ospina publicly voiced his desire to leave the club. Nice coach

Besiktas attempted to sign Ospina,[7] however the move fell through.[8]

After Ospina's performances at the 2014 World Cup and his rejection of a contract extension, he was linked to many European sides.[9] Despite being heavily linked to Atlético Madrid, Puel announced that Ospina would depart the club to join English side Arsenal.[10]

Arsenal

2014–15 season

On 27 July 2014, Arsenal had confirmed that Ospina had signed for the club on for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £3 million, on a four-year deal.

2015 FA Cup Final against Aston Villa.[16] However, Ospina's performances earned him a place on the FIFA Ballon d'Or longlist for the 2015 campaign.[17]

2015–16 season

Ospina after winning the FA Cup with Arsenal in 2015

During the summer transfer window period, Ospina was linked to

Roma for the season.[18] Ospina made his first appearance of the season in a 2–1 away defeat against Dinamo Zagreb in the 2015–16 Champions League,[19] and as the team's "cup goalkeeper", he made his first domestic appearance in a 2–1 League Cup win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.[20] Ospina made another Champions League appearance, against Olympiacos, where his poor performances proved costly in a 3–2 home defeat, with the keeper conceding an own goal by dropping a corner from Kostas Fortounis into his own net'.[21] Ospina would later be dropped from Champions League duties in place of Čech. Ospina suffered a shoulder injury during October's international break that saw him ruled out until November. He was then in contention to face Sunderland in the FA Cup
in January, but a training injury saw Čech take his place.

2016–17 season

Ospina made his first start for Arsenal of the 2016–17 season in the club's opening game in the

Paris Saint Germain, producing a man-of-the-match performance as Arsenal drew 1–1; Ospina himself drew praise for many saves made during the game, mainly against striker Edinson Cavani. Ospina started in the FA cup final where he conceded 1 goal as Arsenal won 2–1.[22][23]

2017–18 season

Ospina made his first appearance of the season in a 1–0 win over

San Siro Stadium in the Europa League round of 16 on 8 March.[26]

Napoli

Following the arrival of

Napoli agreed to a one-year loan deal with an option to buy following new signing Alex Meret's injury.[27] On 17 March 2019, he suffered a serious head injury during a match against Udinese and later collapsed mid-game.[28]

On 4 July 2019, Napoli permanently signed Ospina from Arsenal.

2020 Coppa Italia Final, producing several important saves, and also starting the play which led to Dries Mertens's record–breaking equalising goal with a long kick, which allowed Napoli to earn a 1–1 home draw and a 2–1 aggregate victory.[32][33] He was suspended for the final against Juventus on 17 June, however; Meret started in his place, with Napoli winning 4–2 on penalties following a goalless draw.[34]

Al Nassr

On 11 July 2022, Ospina joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a free transfer.[35]

International career

Ospina during the Round of 16 penalty shoot-out against England

Ospina had his first international experience representing Colombia's under-20 team.[36] Ospina was called up for the first time in the national U-20 team for 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. At only 16 years old, Ospina was the youngest member of the squad, however he did not play any game during the whole tournament. Ospina was called back for the 2007 South American U-20 Championship, where he played four games. However, Colombia failed to qualify for the World Cup, the last youth tournament he had the opportunity to play in.

Ospina made his debut for the Colombia national team as a substitute in the 1–3 defeat against Uruguay. He played his first match in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Bolivia, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play for the Colombia national team.

Ospina was selected as the main goalkeeper for Colombia throughout the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification competition. At the end of the qualifiers, Ospina conceded the fewest goals of the tournament.

At the 2014 World Cup, Ospina appeared in all of Colombia's matches and conceded four goals throughout the tournament.

In Colombia’s

Copa America Centenario quarterfinal match against Peru, he saved Miguel Trauco
’s penalty kick which helped Colombia advance to the semifinals.

In May 2018, he was named in Colombia’s preliminary 35 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[37] Despite saving a penalty against Jordan Henderson in the Round of 16 penalty shoot-out against England, Colombia were eliminated 3–4 on penalties.

On 6 September 2019, Ospina played his 100th international match against Brazil, becoming the first Colombian goalkeeper to reach this milestone.[38]

On 23 June 2021, Ospina made his 111th cap for Colombia in a 2–1 loss to hosts Brazil in the first round of the Copa América, equalling Carlos Valderrama as his nation's most capped player of all time.[39] On 3 July, Ospina saved two spot-kicks as Colombia defeated Uruguay 4–2 on penalties following a 0–0 draw in the Copa América quarter-finals; he also made his 112th international appearances during the match, becoming the most capped player in Colombia's history outright.[40]

Style of play

An agile, athletic, and acrobatic shot-stopper,[41][42][43] Ospina is also known for his reflexes[44][45][46] and his technical ability with his feet,[32][41][47] as well as his distribution and ability to produce accurate throws,[32][41][48] which allows him to play the ball out from the back and start attacks.[49][50] Considered by pundits to be a promising goalkeeper in his youth,[43] his former Nice manager, Frédéric Antonetti, once described him as an "international-standard goalkeeper," also stating: "He has everything you need to be a top goalkeeper. He's good in the air and he's good on the ground. He has that little extra something to be a champion. Hugo Lloris was an international-standard goalkeeper; so is David."[6][41] He is also known for his reserved character and calm demeanour on the pitch.[41] Although he was criticised in the media during his earlier career for being prone to rash errors, while his ability to command his area and decision-making about when to come off his line also came into question, he was able to improve in these areas as his career progressed due to his work-rate, in particular in his speed when rushing off his line and getting to ground to smother the ball – which makes him effective in one on one situations –, or when dealing with crosses;[41][45][46][48] as such, he has been described by journalists as a "sweeper keeper," due to his playing style and ability to rush out of goal.[51] However, despite his all-round improvement as he entered his prime, his tendency to commit errors has persisted, which has been a source of scrutiny from pundits.[52] Standing at 1.83 m (6 ft), Ospina is not particularly tall for a goalkeeper;[53] as such, his lack of height has occasionally limited him in the air at times, despite his bravery.[41][54] He has also been accused of being inconsistent and unreliable in the media,[55][56] despite his excellent and consistent performances at international level.[45] Consequently, critical reception of Ospina has been divided; while his former Arsenal manager Wenger labelled him as the "best goalkeeper in the Premier League" in 2015,[57] and as "a world-class goalkeeper" in 2016,[58] Michael Cummings of Bleacher Report instead stated in 2015 that "Ospina is not a top-class goalkeeper," despite performing well for Arsenal since earning the starting role over Szczęsny earlier that year.[59] Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson instead described him as a "solid keeper" in 2018.[60]

Personal life

Ospina was brother-in-law to fellow Colombian international footballer James Rodríguez, who married David's sister Daniela in 2011.[61] However, they announced their separation in July 2017.[62] Ospina has been married to Colombian model Jesica Sterling since 2012, and has one daughter named Dulce María[63] and a son named Maximiliano.[64]

He acquired French nationality by naturalization in June 2014.[65]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Atlético Nacional 2006[2][66] Categoría Primera A 34 0 0 0 – 1 0 – 35 0
2007[2][66] 47 0 0 0 – 4 0 – 51 0
2008[2][66] 16 0 0 0 – 7 0 – 23 0
Total 97 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 109 0
Nice 2008–09[66] Ligue 1 25 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 – 27 0
2009–10[66] 37 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 38 0
2010–11[66] 35 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 36 0
2011–12[66] 37 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 38 0
2012–13[66] 26 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 – 28 0
2013–14[66] 29 0 1 0 0 0 2[c] 0 – 32 0
Total 189 0 2 0 6 0 2 0 0 0 199 0
Arsenal 2014–15[66] Premier League 18 0 1 0 1 0 3[d] 0 – 23 0
2015–16[66] 4 0 4 0 1 0 3[d] 0 – 12 0
2016–17[66] 2 0 4 0 0 0 8[d] 0 – 14 0
2017–18[66] 5 0 1 0 5 0 10[c] 0 – 21 0
Total 29 0 10 0 7 0 24 0 0 0 70 0
Napoli (loan) 2018–19[66] Serie A 17 0 1 0 – 6[d] 0 – 24 0
Napoli 2019–20[66] Serie A 17 0 4 0 – 2[d] 0 – 23 0
2020–21[66] 16 0 3 0 – 3[c] 0 1[e] 0 23 0
2021–22[66] 31 0 1 0 – 1[c] 0 – 33 0
Total 81 0 9 0 0 0 12 0 1 0 103 0
Al Nassr 2022–23[2] Saudi Pro League 13 0 1 0 – – 0 0 14 0
2023–24[2] 6 0 0 0 – 1[f] 0 1[g] 0 8 0
Total 19 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 22 0
Career total 415 0 22 0 13 0 51 0 2 0 503 0
  1. King Cup
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  6. ^ Appearance in AFC Champions League
  7. ^ Appearance in Saudi Super Cup

International

As of match played 16 December 2023[67][68]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Colombia 2007 1 0
2008 1 0
2009 8 0
2010 5 0
2011 8 0
2012 8 0
2013 10 0
2014 8 0
2015 12 0
2016 14 0
2017 8 0
2018 11 0
2019 10 0
2020 1 0
2021 16 0
2022 6 0
2023 1 0
Total 128 0

Honours

Atlético Nacional

Arsenal

Napoli

Colombia U20

Colombia

Individual

  • Saudi Pro League Goalkeeper of the Month:
    October 2022[74]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h David Ospina at Soccerway
  3. ^ "David Ospina". Premier League. 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Arsenal seal Ospina signing". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Ospina's transfer to Nice underway". Goal.com. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Ospina will be a success". Goal.com. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Ospina to Beskitas off". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Ospina filled with frustration as he is club No 2". Goal.com. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Ospina could leave for free next season after rejecting extension". Obtenir le football. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  10. ^ "Puel: Ospina to Arsenal is done". 101greatgoals.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
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  14. ^ "Arsenal's David Ospina ruled out for around three months with thigh injury". ESPN. 21 October 2014.
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  16. ^ "FA Cup final – FT: Arsenal 4–0 Villa". BBC. 30 May 2015.
  17. ^ Sylla, Ogo (3 October 2015). "Arsenal's Ospina reacts to Ballon d'Or selection". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
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  19. ^ "Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 Arsenal". BBC. 16 September 2015.
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  21. ^ "Arsenal 2–3 Olympiakos". BBC. 29 September 2015.
  22. ^ "Paris St-Germain 1–1 Arsenal". Bbc.co.uk. 13 September 2016.
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  33. ^ "Napoli 1–1 Inter". BBC Sport. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Coppa: Napoli beat Juventus on penalties". Football Italia. 17 June 2020.
  35. ^ "Al-Nassr sign Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina on a two-year contract". Arab News. 12 July 2022.
  36. ^ 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup – Colombia squad at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
  37. ^ "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - 23-man & preliminary lists & when will they be announced? | Goal.com". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  38. ^ "David Ospina, primer arquero en llegar a 100 partidos con la selección Colombia". Alerta Bogota (in Spanish). 6 September 2019.
  39. ^ "Soccer-Late goal gives Brazil controversial 2-1 win over Colombia". Reuters. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  40. ^ "Copa America - Scores & Fixtures - Football". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
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  42. ^ Akerman, Nick (15 July 2014). "Arsenal Transfer News: David Ospina Deal to Be Confirmed Imminently". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  43. ^ a b Edwards, Daniel (18 September 2013). "10 World Football Goalkeepers on the Rise". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  44. ^ Hytner, David (22 July 2014). "Arsenal agree £3m deal with Nice for Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  45. ^ a b c "Transfer rumours: The top 100 targets in the summer transfer window 2017". The Telegraph. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  46. ^ a b "David Ospina". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  47. ^ Malfitano, Mimmo (23 May 2020). "Ospina, il pupillo di Rino: "Io e Meret, sana competizione. E lui sarà uno dei più grandi portieri"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  48. ^ a b Thomas, Che (2 May 2015). "Is Arsenal's Ospina the league's top goalkeeper, as Wenger has stated?". www.hitc.com. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  49. ^ D'Amato, Claudio (16 January 2020). "Dualismo Meret-Ospina in casa Napoli: coi piedi meglio il colombiano" (in Italian). Goal.com. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  50. ^ Nicita, Maurizio (16 January 2020). "Ospina, il prescelto di Gattuso: "Meret sarà un grande portiere"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  51. ^ Newman, Stuart (27 July 2014). "Arsenal Transfer News: Why David Ospina Will Be Gunners' New No. 1". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  52. ^ McNicholas, James (27 April 2018). "Jan Oblak's brilliance highlights Arsenal's need to upgrade at goalkeeper this summer". ESPN FC. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  53. ^ Andrews, Neil (20 May 2015). "In praise of short(er) goalkeepers". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  54. ^ Innes, Richard (25 February 2015). "Dimitar Berbatov v David Ospina: Monaco's main man once made Arsenal's keeper look very silly". The Mirror. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  55. ^ Callaghan, Shane (5 May 2018). "Arsenal fans on Twitter want Jack Butland signed up". www.hitc.com. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
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  58. ^ Jones, Max (25 February 2016). "A goalkeeper is always focused". Arsenal. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  59. ^ Cummings, Michael (27 May 2015). "David Ospina Error Underlines Arsenal's Need for Top-Class Goalkeeper". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  60. ^ "Bob Wilson backs David Ospina ahead of Carabao Cup final appearance". The Belfast Telegraph. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  61. ^ "James Rodriguez The Soccer Star is also a Family Man". 20 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
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  64. ^ "David Ospina es padre por segunda vez". Goal.com (in Spanish). 26 January 2015.
  65. ^ "Ospina officiellement français". OGC Nice (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2023.
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  74. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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