David Ospina

Early career

Atlético Nacional

David Ospina came through the youth system of Atlético Nacional and made his senior debut in the Categoría Primera A in 2005 at the age of 17. He was part of the Atlético Nacional squad that won the 2005 Torneo Apertura, giving him his first league title with the club. By 2007, Ospina had established himself as Atlético Nacional's first-choice goalkeeper. Under coach Óscar Héctor Quintabani, the team completed a domestic double that year by winning both the Apertura and Finalización tournaments, including a 2–1 aggregate victory over Atlético Huila in the Apertura final.

OGC Nice

David Ospina joined OGC Nice in the summer of 2008, arriving from Atlético Nacional at the age of 19 to succeed Hugo Lloris, who had departed for Olympique Lyonnais.

First-choice goalkeeper (2009–2012)

From the 2009–10 season onwards, Ospina became Nice's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, starting the vast majority of the club's league fixtures across three consecutive campaigns. Over this period, Nice fluctuated between mid-table and the lower half of Ligue 1, finishing 15th in 2009–10, 17th in 2010–11, and 13th in 2011–12, with Ospina a consistent presence throughout.

2012–13 season

The 2012–13 season represented the high point of Ospina's time at Nice. Under coach Claude Puel, the club finished fourth in Ligue 1 with 64 points — described by ESPN as Nice becoming "the revelation of French football" that season…

Youth career

Ospina progressed through Colombia's youth setup and was called up to the under-20 squad for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. Although he did not make an appearance during the tournament, Colombia reached the Round of 16. Two years later, he was the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2007 South American U-20 Championship in Paraguay, where Colombia failed to qualify for that year's FIFA World Youth Championship.

Senior career

Ospina made his senior debut for the Colombia national football team as a substitute on 7 February 2007 in a friendly defeat against Uruguay.

2014 FIFA World Cup

Ospina played every minute of Colombia's five matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, their first World Cup since 1998. Colombia reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated 2–1 by the hosts, with a David Luiz free-kick proving the decisive moment.

2015 Copa América

Ospina started every match as Colombia's goalkeeper at the 2015 Copa América in Chile. In the quarter-finals against Argentina, he produced a series of crucial saves — denying Sergio Agüero, Lionel Messi and Nicolás Otamendi — to keep the score goalless through 90 minutes. Colombia ultimately lost 5–4 in a penalty shootout.

2016 Copa América Centenario

At the Copa América Centenario in the United States, Ospina was instrumental in Colombia reaching the semi-finals. Against Peru in the quarter-finals, he made a crucial flying…

An agile, athletic, and acrobatic shot-stopper, Ospina is also known for his reflexes and his technical ability with his feet, as well as his distribution and ability to produce accurate throws, which allows him to play the ball out from the back and start attacks. Considered by pundits to be a promising goalkeeper in his youth, his former Nice manager, Frédéric Antonetti, once described him as an "international-standard goalkeeper," also stating: "He has everything you need to be a top goalkeeper. He's good in the air and he's good on the ground. He has that little extra something to be a champion. Hugo Lloris was an international-standard goalkeeper; so is David." He is also known for his reserved character and calm demeanour on the pitch. Although he was criticised in the media during his earlier career for being prone to rash errors, while his ability to command his area and decision-making about when to come off his line also came into question, he was able to improve in these areas as his career progressed due to his work-rate, in particular in his speed when rushing off his line and getting to ground to smother the ball – which makes him effective in one on one situations –, or when dealing with crosses; as such, he has been described by journalists as a "sweeper keeper," due to his playing style and ability to rush out of goal. However, despite his all-round improvement as he entered his prime, his tendency to commit errors has persisted, which has been a source of…

Ospina was brother-in-law to fellow Colombian international footballer James Rodríguez, who married David's sister Daniela in 2011. However, they announced their separation in July 2017. Ospina has been married to Colombian model Jesica Sterling since 2012, and has two children. He acquired French nationality by naturalization in June 2014.