Carlos Bacca has recently been linked to Premier League clubs, with Arsenal and West Ham keen to acquire the Colombian’s signature. A natural finisher, the South American’s main strength lies in being in the right place at the right time to finish off chances. He is also good without the ball, possessing immense tenacity and showing his smartness by drawing defenders from their positions with intelligent runs.
Bacca, 29, signed for Milan in 2015 where he has been one of the bright lights in a Milan side that has fallen on hard times, scoring 20 goals in 42 appearances for the club. However, Bacca’s journey in football hasn’t been as easy as it seems.
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Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about the Colombian:
#1 He worked as a bus driver’s assistant when he was 20
Carlos Bacca’s rag to riches story, like Cinderella, is an inspiration to all. At 20, he was working as a bus driver’s assistant, struggling to make his ends meet. Coming from a poor family in Colombia, he knew that the way to the top would never be a pleasure cruise. He was playing for Atletico Junior and doing odd jobs, which included selling fish at a point, to survive.
Bacca, in an interview, had said: "At 20 I was living in my village, Puerto Colombia, working as a bus driver's assistant. Life was far from easy. Next, I had to work as a ticket collector on the buses because I come from a poor family and had to earn money to help them out.
“The doors of football had been closed to me for some time and at my age, it wasn’t something I could count on anymore.”
However, he trialled for Junior de Barranquilla that year and they took him, ending his days of harsh struggle.
#2 A late bloomer
Carlos Bacca hadn’t played in a professional league until he was 23.
“It wasn’t until 2009, at the age of 23 that I played in my professional league match. I had a hard time as a child and when I started making money I thought I had made it, but I was wrong. I picked myself up and carried on. The brave are not those who let themselves sink but those who rise up stronger,” he says.
Bacca returned to Atletico Junior after a few loan spells to play in the Colombian League where he became the top scorer.
"I felt that my chance would come and that I had what it took to seize it. And when I got my opportunity with Junior it filled me with even more belief," he admitted.
After three years with his parent-club, he made his long overdue switch to Europe, where he signed for Club Brugge in 2012.
#3 Banned for 2 matches after a rift with Neymar
In a group game against Brazil in Copa America 2015, Carlos Bacca lost his cool after Brazil forward Neymar headbutted Colombian Jeison Murillo in Colombia’s 1-0 loss. Bacca, angered with the Barcelona man’s action, pushed him to the ground for which he received a two-game ban by the Copa America disciplinary committee. Neymar was also banned for four matches.
Carlos Bacca’s mother, naturally angered by Neymar’s act, hoped that she had been there to push Bacca away from the fight.
Bacca wasn’t spared criticism from his mother who said: “I didn’t teach him things like that … I was really annoyed because I’ve never seen this attitude of Carlos in the game before and so I sent him a message telling him off because he didn’t need to react that way.”
#4 Player of the Year in his first season in Europe
Bacca’s dream to play in Europe was fulfilled when, in 2012, Club Brugge signed him to a three-year contract worth €1.5 million.
After initial hiccups, the Colombian managed to cement a place in the starting line-up, scoring 18 goals until January 2013, where he asked for a transfer. However, quite unexpectedly, he signed a new contract with the Belgian club until 2016.
Bacca finished as the top scorer in the Belgian League in the 2012-13 season and subsequently won the Player of the Year in Belgium, scoring 28 goals in 44 league appearances for Club Brugge.
It was then that Bacca was spotted by Sevilla who signed him in 2013 for €7 million. It was there Bacca’s rag to riches story was complete, winning back to back Europa League titles for the Spanish Club.
#5 Fnished ahead of Bale, Benzema and Suarez in the 2014-15 La Liga top-scorer’s chart
After completing his move to Sevilla, Carlos Bacca helped Sevilla to win the Europa League in 2014, scoring 21 goals in all competitions. However, the 2014-15 season would become a season for Bacca to remember where he finished ahead of big-money players like Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez in the La Liga goal-scoring charts.
He scored 20 goals in the La Liga that season and was only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Antoine Griezmann. Bacca also helped his side successfully defend their Europa League title scoring twice in Sevilla’s 3-2 win over Dnipro in the final.
However, Bacca’s desire to play in the Champions League has eluded in spite of him helping Sevilla qualify for the tournament. He moved to Milan in 2015 for €30 million and is currently pursued by clubs like Arsenal and West Ham United.
