Carlos Paniagua, who led women’s soccer to the world subtitle in the under-17 category, is determined to continue training players and bring much more joy to Colombians.
He has no plans to lead a men’s team again because he enjoys working with the girls of the under-17s and the under-20s.
And, it would not be strange that, after the Senior World Cup, if Nelson Abadía does not continue, this Antioquian who declares himself a devotee of the Virgin Mary Help of Christians takes the reins of that category.
The coach, who is around 60 years old, was appointed in December 2021 to lead the women’s under-17 and under-20 categories and in less than a year he achieved what no other in any of the branches.
As a player, he made his debut in the tournament with ‘Powerful’ Medellín in 1985, under the direction of Julio Comesaña. He worked as a mixed midfielder and shared with players like Eduardo Malásquez, Franco Navarro, Leonel Álvarez or Luis Carlos Perea.
At the beginning of 1991 he began his preparation to be a technical director, doing internships in youth teams. But it wasn’t until 1999 when he joined a professional team: Itagüí Ditaires, coming close to being promoted to the First Division. The following year he arrived at Atlético Bucaramanga to lead it for a semester.
After directing in amateur soccer, he reached the Antioquia teams in children’s and youth categories, having under his orders David Ospina, Juan Fernando Quintero and Dorlan Pabón, among others.
In 2010 he was Harold Rivera’s technical assistant in the men’s under-15s, in the South American Championship in Uruguay, where they were runners-up.
Subsequently, he was the technical assistant of Carlos “Piscis” Restrepo with the Colombian Men’s U-20 National Team, reaching the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand.
After seven and a half years with the Colombian Football Federation, and after being Carlos Taborda’s technical assistant for a Colombian Women’s National Team in the U-17 World Cup in Costa Rica, he became the technical director of Formas Íntimas de Medellín, directing the Professional League. in 2019 with Independiente Medellín, achieving a subtitle and qualifying for the Copa Libertadores. He was there until 2020.
In December 2021, he was made official by the Colombian Football Federation as the coach of the Colombian Women’s Under-17 and Under-20 National Team: with the former he won second place in the South American Championship behind Brazil, as well as the quota for the World Cup of this category in India that finally ended with obtaining the title against Spain.
With the under-20 women’s team, he was also runner-up in the South American Championship in Chile, behind Brazil. In addition to the quota for the World Cup in Costa Rica in which she was in the quarterfinals.
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what’s next
Paniagua is, for the members of the national team, more than a coach; he is a “dad”, psychologist and confidant.
THE NEW CENTURY: Will you continue as coach of the National Team?
CARLOS PANIAGUA: Of course I do, I have passion. The truth is that I really want to, I am a person to whom God has fortunately given health. As long as it continues like this, I hope to continue directing, because I am passionate about football, and now women’s football; I would not like to return to lead a men’s team, I am happy, between these training processes, we hope to continue giving joy to the country.
ENS: Are you already thinking about who can make up the next U-17 national team?
CP: First I want to thank all that has been done for women’s soccer in Colombia. Last year was historic, and now we are going to work hard, in order to continue looking for talent in the country, especially in the under-17s, because the players who were before, those who were world runner-ups, are going to move up in category to the sub-20, and we hope to put together two other strong teams that represent us well at a national and international level.
ENS: What is the most important thing to build a competitive group?
CP: First of all, as a leader you have to make the people around you great, to get ahead, to fulfill their dreams, especially with adolescent players such as those in the under-17s.
I am a person who is characterized by motivating, I become almost like their father, also the psychologist if necessary, and the coach; I plan to continue with that mentality, and with everything I do in life, with the women’s and men’s teams.
ENS: What is your next task?
CP: Now I have the task of continuing to train players so that soccer can grow in Colombia.
ENS: How was the process with the sub-17?
CP: The process began in December 2021 when they played the South American, which allowed them to qualify for the U-17 World Cup in India. Then they were all hired by professional teams. We have prepared well, we arrived at the tournament with many illusions, although we had never passed the first phase in five World Cups. I think the players fulfilled the country.
Now the path that Paniagua awaits, apart from continuing to train players, is to overcome what has been done with the sub-17 and sub-20. He knows that his task is not easy, but he is willing to work hard to achieve goals and “continue making Colombian women’s soccer great.”