Duván Zapata


Duván Esteban Zapata Banguero is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian club Atalanta and the Colombia national team.
After starting his career with Colombian club América de Cali, he later played for Estudiantes in Argentina. From 2013, he played in Italy's Serie A, for Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria, and Atalanta.
At international level, Zapata made his senior debut for Colombia in 2017, and took part at the 2019 Copa América.

Club career

Estudiantes

In 2011, Zapata who got the nickname "The Black Coloncoro", joined Estudiantes on loan for a $120,000 loan fee with an option for Estudiantes to purchase for $1.2 million. On his debut, Zapata scored a goal in a 3–2 win over Belgrano. During his first year with Estudiantes, Zapata would occasionally make appearances with their reserve team. Despite this, he still managed to score four goals in eight matches in the Torneo Clausura 2012. That year, within both the Apertura and Clasura, Zapata scored 5 goals in 11 matches. During the summer of 2012, Estudiantes purchased half of Zapata's playing rights from América de Cali.
For the 2013–13 season, Zapata featured in Estudiantes' starting 11, eventually turning into a fundamental part of the team and attracting interest from European clubs.
In July 2013, English Premier League club West Ham United applied for a British work permit for Zapata ahead of a possible transfer from Estudiantes. Although not meeting the usual requirements for a permit, West Ham attempted to secure his arrival by claiming he was a "special talent" who would enhance the English game. However, West Ham's owners soon announced on social media they were pulling out of the deal.

Napoli

On 25 August 2013, Zapata transferred to Italian Serie A club Napoli for an undisclosed fee. He made his first start in Serie A on 28 September, in a 2–0 Napoli win against Genoa. On 22 October, he scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, against Marseille in a 2–1 away win.
Zapata scored his first league goals for the Partenopei on 26 March 2014, two in a 4–2 win at Catania in which his team got all their goals in the first half. He finished the season with five to his name, including two more in the last match, a 5–1 win over Hellas Verona at the Stadio San Paolo.
On 22 July 2015, Zapata joined Udinese on a two-year loan deal with the option to purchase him after his first year at the club.
On 31 August 2017, Zapata joined Sampdoria on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to purchase.

Atalanta

On 12 July 2018, Zapata joined Atalanta on a two-season loan deal with an option to purchase.
On 26 December 2018, Zapata scored twice in a 2–2 draw against Juventus. Later on 20 January 2019, Zapata scored four goals in a 5–0 away win versus Frosinone, becoming the first Atalanta player since Hasse Jeppson in 1952 to achieve this feat in Serie A. The goals lifted his tally up to 14 goals, all scored consecutively in his last 8 matches, making him the top scorer of the league jointly with Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Quagliarella.
On 30 January 2019, Zapata scored twice in a 3–0 win against holders Juventus in the quarter final stage of Coppa Italia. After helping Atalanta to reach the 2019 Coppa Italia Final, and achieve a third-place finish in Serie A, and consequently a spot in the Champions League, scoring 23 league goals in the process, Zapata was awarded a spot in the Serie A team of the year at the end of the season.
On 1 October 2019, Zapata scored Atalanta's first ever goal in the UEFA Champions League in a 2–1 loss against Shakthar Donetsk.
On 17 January 2020, Atalanta exercised their option to purchase Zapata's rights on a permanent basis. A week later, he scored his first goal since his return from a 3 month injury in a 7–0 defeat of Torino. On 12 July, Zapata scored his 15th goal of the season in a 2–2 draw against Juventus, making it the first time since Juventus in 1952 that a Serie A club had 3 players with 15 or more goals in a season

International career

Zapata received his first call-up to the Colombia national team for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Bolivia and Ecuador in March 2017. He made his debut on 23 March, as a 64th-minute substitute for Mateus Uribe in a 1–0 home win over Bolivia.
In May 2018, Zapata was named in Colombia's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup tournament proper, in Russia. However, he did not make the final 23-man squad.
On 30 May 2019, Zapata was included in the 23-man final Colombia squad for the 2019 Copa América. In a pre-tournament friendly on 9 June he scored his first international goal at the end of a 3–0 win away to Peru, having replaced Radamel Falcao at half time. He then scored in the first two group games in Brazil, against Argentina and Qatar.

Style of play

Zapata is primarily known for his speed, physicality, and goalscoring ability as a striker. He usually plays in a central role, and possesses a powerful and accurate shot. He is also known for his ability in the air, courtesy of his height, strength, and powerful physique, which also aids him in defending the ball with his back to goal, and enables him to hold up possession and bring his teammates into play; he is also adept in one on one situations due to his technique and agility.

Personal life

Zapata is the cousin of fellow Colombia international footballer and current Genoa defender Cristián Zapata.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.9 June 2019Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru3–03–0Friendly
2.15 June 2019Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil2–02–02019 Copa América
3.19 June 2019Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil1–01–02019 Copa América

Honours

Club

América de Cali
Napoli
Colombia U20