- Hugo Rodallega scored one of the goals in Santa Fe’s victory.
- Just days before turning 41, the timeless striker continues to make history.
Some goals defy age. The one Hugo Rodallega scored at El Campín on Thursday night — a left-footed strike from outside the penalty area that flew in just inside the post — came from a player who will turn 41 on Saturday, yet was delivered with the power and precision of a forward in his prime.
The Colombian opened the scoring in Independiente Santa Fe’s 2-0 victory over Caracas in the first leg of the Round of 16 play-offs. It was his first goal of this season’s CONMEBOL Sudamericana, a competition El León entered after finishing third in Group E of the CONMEBOL Libertadores. It was another memorable image from a career that refuses to grow old.
Rodallega’s achievements extend far beyond one outstanding night. In May, the striker surpassed 300 professional goals — reaching 302 with a hat-trick against América de Cali — and moved into the top five scorers in the history of Colombian football.
That same month, during the CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage, he achieved another milestone: his goal against Corinthians made him one of the 10 oldest players ever to score in the competition.
Those figures underline his remarkable longevity. He remains Santa Fe’s leading scorer and an idol of the club, while his name was even mentioned again in connection with the Colombia national team in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup.
A globetrotter who came home
The story began in 2003 with Deportes Quindío, before turning into a journey around the world. Rodallega shone in Mexican football, moved to England to represent Wigan Athletic and Fulham in the Premier League, and later continued his career in Türkiye and Brazil, where he scored 19 goals in 60 appearances for Bahia.
He eventually returned to Colombia and, in the latter stages of his career, began writing one of its happiest chapters. A champion and leading scorer at the 2005 South American U-20 Championship, with appearances at the 2007 and 2011 CONMEBOL Copa América, the striker found a second youth at Santa Fe that even he could not have imagined.
His bond with El León reached its peak in 2025, when the club won the Apertura title. On that occasion, the Valle del Cauca native delivered a line that would live long in the memory: “This old man is going to be a champion.”
Retirement, however, would have to wait. A year later, he continues to score and lead with the same hunger as ever.
The philosophy of an eternal goalscorer
What sets Rodallega apart, beyond his finishing ability, is the way he understands his profession.
“I have worked hard for 22 years. The greatest achievement for any footballer is to wear the shirt of his country,” he said after his hat-trick in May, in a message that also expressed his desire to return to the national team — a call-up that ultimately never came.
He also offered a reflection that explains why, at 40, he continues to enjoy the game like a child: “Football, like life, is about that: enjoying yourself and being grateful to be alive.”
That is precisely the philosophy Santa Fe need in this tie. El León, who have never lost a continental knockout tie against Venezuelan opposition, took the first step towards the Round of 16 — where River Plate await — with their 2-0 advantage.
And once again, they did so inspired by their eternal goalscorer. As long as Rodallega keeps finding the net, nobody in Bogotá will want to talk about retirement.
