Club Deportivo Popular Junior F.C. S.A. (Latin American Spanish: [ˈʝunjoɾ]), commonly known as Junior de Barranquilla, by its old name Atlético Junior or simply as Junior, is a Colombian professional football team based in Barranquilla, capital of the department of Atlantico, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. Junior is the main Caribbean team in the top flight of Colombian football. In 2026, they were ranked #34 in the CONMEBOL annual club rankings. [citation needed]

The club was founded on August 7,1924. Known as Los Tiburones (The Sharks), or El Equipo Tiburón (The Shark Team). Junior have won the Colombian professional football championship eleven times (1977, 1980, 1993, 1995, 2004 Finalización, 2010 Apertura, 2011 Finalización, 2018 Finalización, 2019 Apertura, 2023 Finalización, and 2025 Finalización). Some of the most notable players that have played for the club include Heleno de Freitas, Garrincha, Dida, Juan Ramón Verón, Efraín Sánchez, Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama, Iván Valenciano, Teófilo Gutiérrez, Carlos Bacca, Julio César Uribe, Giovanni Hernández, Sebastián Viera and Luis Díaz.

History

In the early 1920s a team named Juventus came into being at the Colegio Salesiano in the San Roque neighborhood of Barranquilla, made up primarily of Italian immigrants. Soon after its launch the name was changed to the Spanish Juventud, though both translate the same in English: youth. In August 1924 some of the younger members of Juventud along with other young men from San Roque created an offshoot of Juventud: Juventud Infantil.

Around the 1940s (and the club's name was shortened to simply Junior) they became known as one of the country's best clubs. In 1945 the players of Junior were selected to represent Colombia at the South American Championship (now known as the Copa América), finishing a respectable fifth (though losing 7–0 to Uruguay and 9–1 to Argentina along the way). In 1949 they were again selected to represent Colombia (finishing last place) but this time their decision to play would have its consequences.

In 1948 Junior were founder members of División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (commonly known as the Dimayor). Their debut match as a professional outfit came at home on 15 August 1948, against Deportivo Cali, which ended in a 2–0 victory for the home side. Early the following year they were again chosen to play as the de facto Colombia national team. Because of ongoing strife between Adefutbol (the original amateur Colombian football association) and the Dimayor, Junior were threatened with expulsion from the Dimayor if they participated. They went ahead and did so and were initially given a two-year suspension from the league. This was later reduced to one year and they returned to the Dimayor for the 1950 season.

This was the golden age of Colombian football commonly referred to as El Dorado, a time when the Dimayor was a "rebel league" unaffiliated with FIFA and many high-profile players from around the world broke their contracts and came to play. Junior were no exception, picking up players from Brazil, Argentina, Hungary and the Czech Republic in these years. But El Dorado eventually came to an end for Colombian football.

A way ahead surfaced in the mid-1960s when a rift had again developed in Colombian football, this time between Adefutbol and the newly created Federación Colombiana de Fútbol, an organization devoted to developing professional football in the country. Adefutbol was still the official body in the eyes of FIFA and organized the national team in this period and additionally Colombian clubs did not enter the Copa Libertadores. Peace was finally made and the bulk of the amateur team that had attempted to qualify for the England World Cup signed up for Junior, who returned to the Dimayor in 1966. Junior have remained in the top level ever since.

In 1977 Junior won their first Colombian championship, finishing first place in the Apertura. They won further championships in 1980, 1993, 1995, the 2004-II (Finalización), the 2010-I (Apertura), the 2011-II (Finalizacion), the 2018-II (Finalización), the 2019-I (Apertura) and the 2023-II (Finalización). They also won Copa Colombia in 2015 and 2017. Junior have appeared in the Copa Libertadores eighteen times (reaching the semi-finals in 1994), the Copa Sudamericana 8 times (reaching the final in 2018), and the Copa CONMEBOL 1 time.[citation needed]

Symbols

Badge
Current badge with 11 stars

Badge

The team's badge has a Swiss shaped; proportionally 6 wide by 8 tall, divided into two horizontal stripes. The inferior stripe is divided into nine alternating vertical red and white stripes. The superior part is an horizontal dark blue stripe where the stars are placed. Each of the five-pointed stars represents a league championships the team has won. Superimposed on the vertical bars of red and white, is a horizontal white stripe that reads JUNIOR.

Flag

Junior's flag is composed of nine horizontal stripes, five red and four white ones which alternate, the superior and the inferior ones are red. Overlapped on top of the strips there is a blue triangle. This triangle occupies all the wide of the flag on its vertical side. The white five-pointed stars are superimposed on the triangle, symbolizing the Colombian championships won.

Honours

Domestic

Continental

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

1971: Group stage 1978: Group stage 1981: Group stage 1984: Group stage 1994: Semifinals 1996: Quarterfinals 2000: Round of 16 2001: Round of 16 2005: Round of 162010: Preliminary round 2011: Round of 16 2012: Group stage 2017: Third stage 2018: Group stage 2019: Group stage 2020: Group stage 2021: Group stage 2024: Round of 16
2004: Quarterfinals 2015: Second stage 2016: Quarterfinals 2017: Semi-finals 2018: Runners-up2020: Quarterfinals 2021: Round of 16 2022: Group stage 2023: First stage 2025: Preliminary round

1992: Quarter-finals

Players

Current squad

As of 19 March 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK URU Mauro Silveira 3 DF COL Edwin Herrera 5 DF COL Daniel Rivera 6 MF COL Dilan Villarreal 7 MF COL Harold Rivera 8 FW COL Yimmi Chará (captain) 9 FW PAR Guillermo Paiva 10 FW COL Luis Muriel 14 MF COL Juan David Ríos 15 DF COL Yeferson Moreno 16 DF COL Carlos Pérez 18 FW COL Kevin Pérez 20 MF COL Jannenson Sarmiento 21 FW COL Joel Canchimbo 22 MF COL Jesús RivasNo. Pos. Nation Player 24 DF COL Jean Pestaña 26 DF COL Yeison Suárez (on loan from Deportivo Pereira) 27 DF COL Jhon Navia 28 MF COL Guillermo Celis 29 FW COL Teófilo Gutiérrez 30 GK COL Jefersson Martínez 33 DF URU Lucas Monzón (on loan from Racing Montevideo) 34 DF COL Jhomier Guerrero 70 FW COL Carlos Bacca 77 FW COL Cristian Barrios 80 MF COL Fabián Ángel 88 FW COL Bryan Castrillón 98 DF COL Jermein Peña — FW COL Déiber Caicedo
1GKURUMauro Silveira
3DFCOLEdwin Herrera
5DFCOLDaniel Rivera
6MFCOLDilan Villarreal
7MFCOLHarold Rivera
8FWCOLYimmi Chará (captain)
9FWPARGuillermo Paiva
10FWCOLLuis Muriel
14MFCOLJuan David Ríos
15DFCOLYeferson Moreno
16DFCOLCarlos Pérez
18FWCOLKevin Pérez
20MFCOLJannenson Sarmiento
21FWCOLJoel Canchimbo
22MFCOLJesús Rivas
No.Pos.NationPlayer
24DFCOLJean Pestaña
26DFCOLYeison Suárez (on loan from Deportivo Pereira)
27DFCOLJhon Navia
28MFCOLGuillermo Celis
29FWCOLTeófilo Gutiérrez
30GKCOLJefersson Martínez
33DFURULucas Monzón (on loan from Racing Montevideo)
34DFCOLJhomier Guerrero
70FWCOLCarlos Bacca
77FWCOLCristian Barrios
80MFCOLFabián Ángel
88FWCOLBryan Castrillón
98DFCOLJermein Peña
—FWCOLDéiber Caicedo

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player — DF COL Carlos Olmos (at Barranquilla) — MF COL Miguel Agámez (at Barranquilla) — MF COL Carlos Cantillo (at Barranquilla) — MF COL Diego Mendoza (at Deportivo Pereira) — MF COL John Fredy Salazar (at Atlético Bucaramanga)No. Pos. Nation Player — MF COL Jhon Vélez (at Inter Palmira) — FW COL Stiwart Acuña (at Envigado) — FW COL Jesús Díaz (at Independiente Yumbo) — FW COL Stiven Rodríguez (at Deportivo Cali)
—DFCOLCarlos Olmos (at Barranquilla)
—MFCOLMiguel Agámez (at Barranquilla)
—MFCOLCarlos Cantillo (at Barranquilla)
—MFCOLDiego Mendoza (at Deportivo Pereira)
—MFCOLJohn Fredy Salazar (at Atlético Bucaramanga)
No.Pos.NationPlayer
—MFCOLJhon Vélez (at Inter Palmira)
—FWCOLStiwart Acuña (at Envigado)
—FWCOLJesús Díaz (at Independiente Yumbo)
—FWCOLStiven Rodríguez (at Deportivo Cali)

World Cup players

The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to Junior de Barranquilla.

Club captains

Personnel

Technical staff

PositionStaff
ManagerUruguay Alfredo Arias
Assistant managerArgentina Juan Manuel López
Fitness coachUruguay Ignacio Berriel

Source: [citation needed]

Notable players

Most appearances

RankPlayerAppearances
1.Uruguay Sebastián Viera627
2.Colombia Dulio Miranda445
3.Colombia Hayder Palacio432
4.Colombia Alexis Mendoza417
5.Colombia José María Pazo392
6.Colombia Gabriel Berdugo379
7.Colombia Víctor Pacheco367
8.Colombia Jesús Rubio363
9.Colombia Luis Grau341
10.Brazil Othon Dacunha333

Most goals

As of 19 December 2024

RankPlayerGoals
1.Colombia Ivan Valenciano180
2.Colombia Carlos Bacca131
3.Colombia Teófilo Gutiérrez94
4.Brazil Víctor Ephanor86
5.Uruguay Nelson Silva Pacheco81
6.Colombia Víctor Pacheco78
7.Colombia Martín Arzuaga70
8.Colombia Vladimir Hernández65
9.Colombia Orlando Ballesteros56
10.Brazil Marcos Cardoso55

Historic players

International players

The following players, despite not having been able to establish themselves as idols, had a stage as internationals with their national teams.

Managers

Affiliated clubs

External links