title: 2008 Atlético Nacional season
text: # 2008 Atlético Nacional season
  
  The 2008 Atlético Nacional season was the club's 61st season since being founded in 1948. Nacional played in the 2008 Copa Libertadores since they won the Copa Mustang consecutively in the previous season (2007), making them the first team in Colombia to achieve this goal since the introduction of the new Copa Mustang format. Oscar Quintabani was the club's manager for the second year in a row. The team roster was almost the same as last year's.
  
  ## Team Kit
  
  This year Atlético Nacional will be changing manufacturers since their contract with Umbro expired; this year they will be featuring Marathon Sports as their new manufacturing sponsor. However, Postobón is still going to be their main shirt sponsor, making this their ninth year sponsoring the club.
  
  Supplier: Marathon Sports Sponsor(s): Postobón
  
  | Home | Away | Third |
  | - | - | - |
  
  ## Team roster
  
  ### Copa Mustang-I
  
  As of January 18, 2008
  
  Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | GK | COL | David Ospina Ramírez |
  | 2 | DF | COL | Humberto Antonio Mendoza |
  | 3 | DF | COL | Walter José Moreno |
  | 4 | MF | COL | Harold Martínez |
  | 5 | DF | COL | Oscar Passo |
  | 6 | DF | COL | Camilo Pérez |
  | 7 | FW | COL | León Darío Muñoz |
  | 8 | MF | COL | Víctor Ibarbo |
  | 10 | MF | CHI | Francisco Arrué |
  | 11 | FW | COL | Elkin Murillo |
  | 12 | GK | COL | Carlos Barahona Angulo |
  | 13 | MF | COL | José Amaya |
  | 14 | FW | COL | Carmelo Valencia |
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | 15 | DF | COL | Carlos Díaz |
  | 16 | MF | COL | Felipe Chara |
  | 18 | DF | COL | Juan Zúñiga |
  | 19 | FW | ARG | Sergio Galván Rey |
  | 20 | DF | COL | Julián Estiven Vélez |
  | 21 | DF | COL | Marlon Piedrahita |
  | 22 | MF | COL | David Córdoba |
  | 23 | DF | COL | Jimmy Bermúdez |
  | 24 | MF | COL | Diego Toro |
  | 25 | GK | COL | Juan Carlos Patino |
  | 30 | FW | PAR | Carlos Villagra |
  | 31 | MF | CHI | Fernando Martel |
  
  ### Reserve & Youth Squad
  
  Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | -- | DF | COL | Juan Carlos Mosquera |
  | -- | DF | COL | Julián Andrés Díaz |
  | -- | DF | COL | Davison Monsalve |
  | -- | MF | COL | Juan Carlos Ramírez |
  | -- | MF | COL | Santiago Ceferino |
  | -- | MF | COL | Jhonatan Cueto |
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | -- | MF | COL | Jhon Edison Parra |
  | -- | FW | COL | Jefferson Angulo |
  | -- | FW | COL | José Novelio Romaña |
  | -- | FW | COL | Yeison Javier Devoz |
  | -- | FW | COL | Daniel Arango |
  | -- | FW | BRA | John Cèiler |
  
  ### Copa Mustang-II
  
  As of May 24, 2008
  
  Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | GK | COL | Eduardo Blandón |
  | 2 | DF | COL | Humberto Antonio Mendoza (Captain) |
  | 3 | DF | COL | Walter José Moreno |
  | 4 | MF | COL | Harold Martínez |
  | 5 | DF | COL | Oscar Passo |
  | 6 | FW | COL | Jefferson Angulo |
  | 7 | FW | COL | Carmelo Valencia |
  | 8 | MF | COL | Jhon Charría |
  | 10 | MF | COL | Giovanni Moreno |
  | 11 | FW | COL | León Darío Muñoz |
  | 12 | GK | COL | Carlos Barahona Angulo |
  | 13 | MF | COL | José Amaya |
  | 14 | MF | COL | Jairo Palomino |
  | 15 | DF | COL | Carlos Díaz |
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | 16 | MF | COL | Felipe Chara |
  | 17 | FW | COL | Carlos Rentería |
  | 19 | FW | ARG | Sergio Galván Rey (vice-captain) |
  | 20 | DF | COL | Julián Estiven Vélez |
  | 21 | DF | COL | Marlon Piedrahita |
  | 22 | MF | COL | David Córdoba |
  | 23 | DF | COL | Jimmy Bermúdez |
  | 24 | MF | COL | Diego Toro |
  | 30 | FW | PAR | Carlos Villagra |
  | -- | DF | COL | Juan Carlos Mosquera |
  | — | MF | COL | Victor Ibarbo |
  | -- | MF | COL | Cristian Correa |
  | -- | FW | COL | Luis Perea |
  
  ### Reserve and youth squad
  
  Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
  
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | -- | GK | COL | Christian Vargas |
  | -- | DF | COL | Julián Andrés Díaz |
  | -- | DF | COL | Juan Pulgarín |
  | -- | DF | COL | Jair Enrique Iglesias |
  | -- | DF | COL | Juan Arboleda |
  | -- | MF | COL | Santiago Ceferino |
  | -- | MF | COL | Jhonatan Cueto |
  | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
  | -- | MF | COL | Jhon Edison Parra |
  | -- | MF | COL | Luis Londoño |
  | -- | FW | COL | José Novelio Romaña |
  | -- | FW | COL | Yeison Javier Devoz |
  | -- | FW | COL | Daniel Arango |
  | -- | FW | BRA | John Cèiler |
  | -- | FW | COL | Juan González |
  
  ## Transfers
  
  In:
  
  * David Córdoba From Cúcuta Deportivo
  * Juan Carlos Ramirez From Santa Fe
  * Walter José Moreno From Cúcuta Deportivo
  * Carlos Villagra From Millonarios
  * Francisco Arrué From Universidad de Chile
  * Eduardo Blandón From Millonarios
  * Giovanni Moreno From Envigado Fútbol Club
  * Jairo Palomino From Envigado Fútbol Club
  * Jhon Charría From Deportes Tolima
  * Carlos Rentería From Atlético Huila
  
  Out:
  
  * Víctor Aristizábal Retired
  * Henry Rojas To Huila
  * Oscar Echeverry To New York Red Bulls
  * Andres David Saldarriaga To Cúcuta Deportivo
  * William Zapata To Cúcuta Deportivo
  * Ivan Hurtado To Barcelona SC
  * Aldo Ramírez To Monarcas Morelia
  * David Ospina Ramírez to OGC Nice
  * Camilo Perez to Envigado Fútbol Club
  * Juan Camilo Zuñiga To AC Siena
  
  ## All Competitions
  
  | Competition | Final Position/Round | First Match | Last Match |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | Copa Colombia | Third Phase | March 12, 2008 | October 1, 2008 |
  | Copa Mustang-I | 14th | February 2, 2008 | May 18, 2008 |
  | Copa Libertadores | Round of 16 | February 27, 2008 | May 7, 2008 |
  | Copa Mustang-II | 3rd/Group Stage | July 19, 2008 | December 14, 2008 |
  
  ## Statistics
  
  ### Appearances and goals
  
      Last updated on 30 Nov 2008.
  
  | No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Copa Mustang 2008-II | Copa Mustang 2008-II | Copa Mustang 2008-I | Copa Mustang 2008-I | Copa Colombia 2008 | Copa Colombia 2008 | 2008 Copa Libertadores | 2008 Copa Libertadores |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
  | 1 | GK | COL | Eduardo Blandón | 33 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 2 | DF | COL | Humberto Antonio Mendoza | 44 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
  | 3 | DF | COL | Walter José Moreno | 34 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
  | 4 | MF | COL | Harold Martinez | 22 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 5 | DF | COL | Oscar Passo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 6 | FW | COL | Cristian Correa | 17 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
  | 7 | FW | COL | Carmelo Valencia | 23 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
  | 8 | MF | COL | Jhon Charría | 23 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 10 | MF | COL | Giovanni Moreno | 43 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 11 | FW | COL | León Darío Muñoz | 20 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 12 | GK | COL | Carlos Barahona Angulo | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 13 | MF | COL | José Amaya | 38 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
  | 14 | MF | COL | Jairo Palomino | 39 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 15 | DF | COL | Carlos Díaz | 18 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 16 | MF | COL | Felipe Chara | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
  | 17 | FW | COL | Carlos Rentería | 32 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
  | 18 | FW | COL | Luis Perea | 19 | 7 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
  | 19 | FW | ARG | Sergio Galván Rey | 42 | 11 | 19 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
  | 20 | DF | COL | Julián Estiven Vélez | 32 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
  | 21 | DF | COL | Marlon Piedrahita | 30 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
  | 22 | MF | COL | David Córdoba | 31 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
  | 23 | DF | COL | Jimmy Bermúdez | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 24 | MF | COL | Diego Toro | 35 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
  | 30 | FW | PAR | Carlos Villagra | 24 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
  | | MF | COL | Juan Carlos Mosquera | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | FW | COL | Jefferson Angulo | 20 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
  | | FW | COL | Yeison Javier Devoz | 15 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Juan Arboleda | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | FW | COL | Daniel Arango | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Victor Ibarbo | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | GK | COL | David Ospina Ramírez | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Julián Andrés Díaz | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Davison Monsalve | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | DF | COL | Juan Zúñiga | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
  | | MF | CHI | Fernando Martel | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Juan Carlos Ramírez | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Jhonatan Cueto | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | FW | COL | Juan Gonzalez | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | FW | CHI | Francisco Arrué | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
  | | FW | COL | Elkin Murillo | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Luis Londoño | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | DF | COL | Jair Enrique Iglesias | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | DF | COL | Juan Pulgarín | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
  | | MF | COL | Santiago Ceferino | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | GK | COL | Christian Vargas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | GK | COL | Juan Carlos Patino | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | | FW | COL | José Novelio Romaña | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
  
  ## Copa Mustang
  
  ### Copa Mustang 2008-I
  
  The Copa Mustang 2008-I began on February 2 and ended on May 18. Atlético Nacional was a firm candidate to win the championship after winning both Colombian championships last year, but eventually had an underwhelming campaign, finishing 14th and missing out on the playoffs.
  
  ### Results by round
  
  | Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Ground | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A |
  | Result | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | W | L | D | L | W | L | W | W | W | L | L |
  | Position | 15 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 14 |
  
  ### League table
  
  | Pos | Team | Pts | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Dif |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 12. | Atletico Junior | 24 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 23 | -2 |
  | 13. | Atlético Huila | 23 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 25 | 25 | 0 |
  | 14. | Atlético Nacional | 22 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 19 | -3 |
  | 15. | Once Caldas | 19 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 28 | -8 |
  | 16. | Deportivo Pasto | 19 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 24 | -9 |
  
  ### Copa Mustang 2008-II
  
  The expectations for this season were high, since Nacional had a poor campaign in the previous Copa Mustang tournament. At the beginning of the 2008-II Copa Mustang Nacional was not as successful as it was thought they were going to be; mainly due to many changes in the squad, and this was highlighted by a 5-0 loss against Santa Fe. The club struggled to look for a place in the top 8 during the first half of the tournament. In the other half the club was slightly getting back to shape by making the top 8 on five occasions, and it won its last three games, leading into a 3rd place finish in the last game of the tournament and qualifying to the Quadrangular Semifinals. In the quadrangular, Nacional finished last, without having a single win, and in its closing game against La Equidad at home, the club lost 4-1; only about 10,000 fans showed up to the game to see them lose on their 2008 season final game.
  
  ### Results by round
  
  | Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Ground | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H |
  | Result | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | L | D | L | W | W | W | L | W | W | W |
  | Position | 18 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 3 |
  
  ## Copa Colombia
  
  Nacional had a decent run in the 2008 Copa Colombia, where they finished first in their group with only 1 loss against rivals DIM, but were unexpectedly eliminated by Primera B club Expreso Rojo in the third phase, which was the club that went the furthest in the tournament out of the clubs that weren't playing in the highest division.
  
  ### Second phase
  
  Atletico Nacional won 6–2 on aggregate
  
  ### Third phase
  
  Expreso Rojo won 2–1 on aggregate
  
  ## Copa Libertadores
  
  Nacional made a good appearance in the 2008 Copa Libertadores. In the group stage they held the first place for the first five games, then in the last one when they lost 1-0 to São Paulo they went down to second place. In the round of 16 they had to play against Fluminense; in the first game Nacional lost at home 1-2, later in the second leg they lost 1-0 to the Brazilian club at Maracanã Stadium, which meant that Fluminense advanced to the next round, and Nacional were eliminated from the tournament.
  
  ### Round of 16
  
  Fluminense won 3–1 on aggregate.
  
  