Juanfer Quintero will play in Junior de Barranquilla: from “it could not be done” to “thank God”

Juan Fernando Quintero had said goodbye to the fans of River on the last day of 2022, when his contract with the millionaire club has expired. Two weeks later, after several negotiations that didn’t seem to have a happy ending, he announced that he would continue his career Junior of Barranquilla.

“You know what we did to make it possible. Here we are THANK GOD”Juanfer wrote on his Twitter account, where less than 24 hours earlier he had said that his arrival at Junior “could not be done”.

“Friends!! As for the junior issue, I wanted to tell you that it couldn’t be done… And to thank all the people of this beautiful club and above all their fans who I felt that love and respect all the time!! Wish them all the best and much success in what’s to come!!” wrote the clever hitch.

However, this Friday the club released an official statement through the same social network in which it confirmed the arrival of Quintero. “If he passes the medical tests, he will be linked to the rojiblanca institute,” they specified.

“This is football, yesterday we were sad, today we are very happy! Welcome to Junior”said to the former River Fuad Char Abdala, majority shareholder of the Barranquilla club.

Meanwhile, in the profile of the Colombian institution, they also raised a throne and wrote: “The chair is ready for the king’s son”.

an expected return

When Junior supporters had already ruled out his arrival, the club announced the signing of Quintero. According to local media reports, the 29-year-old creative is on his way to becoming in the footballer with the highest salary in the history of Colombian football.

The possibility of Quintero playing Junior was made public a week ago, when former Barranquilla mayor Alejandro Char announced the creative midfielder’s arrival in the city to speak to the club’s top management.

“We will talk to him,” Junior shareholder Alejandro Char told reporters after meeting the player on Friday in Barranquilla, although he said “economically it is not easy” finalize your signature.

At the time, Quintero wrote on his networks that it was “a pleasure” to meet Char, although he would not reveal further details about the meeting or his future after he stopped wearing the colors of River, the team with which he won the 2018 Copa Libertadores winning 3-1 against Boca Juniors in Madrid with one of his goals.

the attacker Charles Berryreturned to Junior last season and shared with the creative in the Colombian national team, he was the first to welcome him this morning to the club.

“Barranquilla awaits you with open arms”wrote Bacca, a former Sevilla and Milan player, on Twitter, where he tagged the official Junior account. Quintero, also wanted by Flamengo and Internacional, replied to this message with “My God. Thank you”.

At the age of 29, Quintero made his professional debut in 2009 with the Envigado FCfrom where after three years he moved to Atlético Nacional, from where he left to wear the colors of Pescara in Italy for one season, Porto in Portugal for two years and Rennes in France for another two.

In 2017 he returned to Colombia to play one season in the Independent Medellin and later joins River Plate in Argentina, club where he had his best performance in his entire career.

In 2021 he was with Shenzhen in China and returned to River in 2022.

With the Colombian football team, Quintero played 46 games and scored 13 goals, as well as participating in the Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 World Cups.