Colombia's most successful team was born in a notary's office. On 30 April 1947 the founding deed of the club now called Atlético Nacional was signed in Medellín. On 30 April 2027 it turns 80 years old, and its green shirt has a story full of surprises.

Two dates for one birth

The team's roots go back to 1935 and a small local club. Later two teams from the area, Unión and Indulana, merged, and on 7 March 1947 the new side appeared under the name Club Atlético Municipal de Medellín. Officially, however, the club was founded on 30 April, when the public deed was signed, and that is the date it celebrates.

The driving force was Luis Alberto Villegas Lopera, a former president of the Antioquia football league. The club was set up as a company with 500 shareholders, each buying shares worth 100 pesos. The idea was simple: a team that would support local athletes.

Why "Nacional"

In 1950 Atlético Municipal became Atlético Nacional, although some sources say the new name was used from the 1951 season. The name matched the club's philosophy. The team wanted to play only with Colombians, the so-called "puros criollos".

The rule was not always kept. The first foreigner, Argentine Atilio Miotti, arrived as early as 1953, and from 2004 the club returned to foreign signings. But the focus on local talent has remained part of its identity.

Green and white, the colours of Antioquia

The club's colours, green and white, come from the flags of the department of Antioquia and the city of Medellín. Red was ruled out because it already belonged to local rivals Independiente Medellín. Black is used as a secondary colour.

In 1954 the team adopted an all-green shirt that stood out from far away. That gave rise to the nickname Verdolagas, after purslane (verdolaga), a green plant. The nickname stuck even when the shirt took on the broad green and white stripes we know today.

The same year brought the first title. On 26 September 1954, coached by Fernando Paternoster, the team beat Independiente Medellín 1-0 to become champions, with a goal from Humberto "Turrón" Álvarez, the fans' first great idol.

The tower on the crest and the Atanasio Girardot

The current crest was adopted in 2000. It shows the letters A and N inside an elongated rectangle, topped by a castle tower that echoes Medellín's coat of arms.

The team's home is the Atanasio Girardot, owned by the city and shared with Independiente. It opened on 19 March 1953 with a 2-2 draw against Alianza Lima.

Two Libertadores and a lesson in sportsmanship

In 1989 Nacional became the first Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores. With coach Francisco Maturana, goalkeeper René Higuita and defender Andrés Escobar, they beat Olimpia 5-4 on penalties. The second leg of the final was played in Bogotá, because the Medellín stadium was considered too small.

In 2016 came the second Libertadores, with a 2-1 aggregate win over Independiente del Valle. A few months later the team was due to play the Copa Sudamericana final against Brazil's Chapecoense, but the Brazilians' plane crashed and 71 people died.

Nacional asked CONMEBOL to award the title to Chapecoense, and that is what happened on 5 December 2016. For this gesture, the club received a fair play award.

Celebrate with us

A signature in a notary's office, a green plant and a gesture that moved the whole world. That is the story of Atlético Nacional.

Happy 80th birthday, Nacional! May you always stay green, proud and generous.

See our Atlético Nacional jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: the Atanasio Girardot before a Nacional match, 2025 – User34790, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.