Alexis Zapata

Alexis Zapata left Colombia as a teenager with his sporting rights already worth real money: in 2014, months after his debut for Envigado, Udinese bought 80% of them for an estimated €1.18 million. A loan at Sassuolo produced no competitive appearances, and although a spell at Perugia brought three goals in 27 league matches, he did not establish a foothold in Serie A.

A loan back home to Millonarios in 2017 brought a Torneo Finalización title, and a full return to Envigado the following season showed what he could do at Colombian level, with 12 goals in 44 matches. He then spent four years in Ecuador with Emelec, scoring 13 times in 71 appearances, before a move to América de Cali in 2024, where he reached the final of the Copa Colombia.

Zapata joined Independiente Santa Fe as a free agent in January 2025. He was a key player as the club won the Torneo Apertura 2025, then went on to lift the Superliga de Colombia 2026, beating Junior 4-1 on aggregate.

His underage career pointed to the player he would become: gold with Colombia's under-18 side at the 2013 Bolivarian Games, where he was named the tournament's best player, followed by a run to the final of the 2015 South American Under-20 Championship and a place in Colombia's squad at that year's Under-20 World Cup.