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Envigado FC’s youth work has produced big names like James Rodríguez and Jhon Durán. With Santiago Londoño, the Colombian club’s next promising talent is in the starting blocks. The 17-year-old center forward is an integral part of the first team and was extremely accurate in the U17 national team, which is why there are already initial comparisons with Radamel Falcao.
Londoño made his professional debut in March 2023 in the Copa Columbia against Tigres FC – a month after his 15th birthday. This made him 28 days younger than top striker Durán in February 2019. Londoño, who was born in Medellín, has been regularly playing for the first team since August 2024. In the past season, which was played in Colombia over the calendar year, he scored three goals in 24 games.
Londoño demonstrated his goalscoring qualities particularly in the Colombian U17 national team. In the spring he led the selection with five goals to the final of the U17 South American Championship, where they lost to Brazil on penalties. The attacker particularly shone with a hat-trick in the 5-1 win against Venezuela in the semi-finals. At the U17 World Cup in Qatar, the tournament ended for Colombia in the round of 16 against France, with Londoño scoring a goal. He was successful eight times in twelve international matches for the U17s. “I moved him forward by a year, but he was still one of our best players. He is deadly in the penalty area,” said his former youth coach Hildebrando Castro.
Londoño: From comparisons with Falcao to Ángel
“Santiago Londoño is a modern striker who can operate both in the center and out wide. His contribution goes beyond goals, which is why he has attracted the attention of European clubs,” explains Samuel Vásquez Rivas, Area Manager Colombia at Transfermarkt. In addition to his good physique and high speed, Londoño is also characterized by his header game and his good understanding of the game. “It is unusual for a Colombian striker to gain so much popularity before his 18th birthday,” says Vásquez Rivas.
When you think of Colombia’s national team, attacking players like Falcao, Luis Díaz and James come to mind. In the recent past, the country of 49 million inhabitants has produced good center forwards with great reliability. In addition to Durán and Falcao, Jackson Martínez, Luis Muriel and Carlos Bacca have also proven their qualities in Europe’s top leagues. At Sporting in Portugal, another nine-man, Luis Suárez, is causing a stir.
Rivas explains that Londoño is already being compared in Colombia to one of the nation’s greatest players. “In Colombia, Londoño is known as ‘Baby Falcao’ because his style of play and skills are similar to Falcao’s, although this comparison seems a bit exaggerated. Londoño could follow in the footsteps of Juan Pablo Ángel, the legendary Aston Villa player who, thanks to his attacking prowess, spent six years in England, scoring 62 goals.”
Londoño on the trail of Durán and James
According to Rivas, it is an advantage that Londoño comes from Envigado’s academy: “His current club Envigado has produced players like Jhon Durán and James Rodríguez, two of the most expensive Colombian players in history. This could be an advantage because the academy has a high reputation among clubs in Europe.” James left Envigado for Argentine club Banfield in 2008 before his world career began. Durán moved to the USA to Chicago Fire in 2022. In addition, ex-Bundesliga professionals Jhon Córdoba and Juan Fernando Quintero were trained in the community near Medellín.
With a market value of 900,000 euros, Londoño is the most valuable player in Envigado’s squad and is one of the most valuable center forwards of the 2008 class. The Spanish first division club Real Oviedo is said to have made an offer of 1.85 million euros – which would make Londoño more expensive than Durán when he moved to Chicago Fire for 1.7 million euros. The most expensive departure from Envigado is Yáser Asprilla, who moved to Watford FC at the beginning of 2022 for 3 million euros. Maybe Londoño will replace him shortly.
Every day from December 1st to 24th, Transfermarkt will present a talent from the 2008 or 2009 vintage from a different country. Sponsors, data scouts and users act as experts and report interesting facts about 24 young players in our talent calendar who you should keep a close eye on in the future. For example with the TM Watchlist.