Juan Fernando Quintero

Envigado

Born in Medellín, Colombia, he joined the youth squad for Envigado after an impressive performance during a youth tournament that took place in Medellin. Quintero made his professional debut in 2009. At the end of the 2010 season, Quintero helped Envigado retain their place in the Categoría Primera A. He scored the only goal of the match in the first leg of the relegation play-offs, a 1–0 victory over Deportivo Pasto . In the second play-off match, he suffered an injury, fracturing his tibia and being ruled out for two months; however, his team won 3–0 on aggregate to secure their spot in the top tier for another season.

Atlético Nacional

Quintero joined the ranks of Atlético Nacional in January 2012.

Loan to Pescara

In July 2012, Quintero then joined Serie A club Pescara for a fee of $2 million, wasting no time in impressing European scouts. On 23 September 2012, he scored his first goal with the club, a free kick in a 1–1 draw against Bologna. It was reported in early 2013 that Inter Milan and Udinese have confirmed their bidding interest, although Udinese was the only club to have made an official bid. In early April 2013, it was reported that Quintero suffered an injury and would be out for a month. In mid May 2013, Quintero posted on Twitter 'goodbye and thank you' to Pescara, hinting that he was to leave the Italian side in the summer. While Pescara claimed that he had not been 'sold', it hinted at Quintero's desire to leave the…

Youth

2013 South American Youth Championship

Quintero was called to represent Colombia wearing the number 10 jersey at the 2013 South American Youth Championship. In the first match against Paraguay, he was voted man of the match after an impressive display setting up the 1–0 victory goal. In the match against a powerful Chile team, Quintero scored a penalty although Colombia lost 2–1. In the match against Bolivia, Quintero assisted four of the six goals in a 6–0 victory. In the final group stage match against Argentina, Colombia had already qualified thus he did not play until the second half where he scored with an amazing 50 yard free kick despite losing the match 2–3. In the first match of the final round, Quintero scored again from an impressive distance in a 2–1 victory over Ecuador. This brought his goal tally to three and his assist tally to four. Quintero scored with a penalty against Peru in a 1–0 allowing Colombia to qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. In the final match against Paraguay who were also Colombia's very first opponent in the U20 South American Youth Championships, he scored a goal in a 2–1 victory where Colombia won the Youth Championships in South America for the third time. In total, Quintero had scored 5 goals and assisted 4, making him MVP of the championship for contributing more than any other player in the tournament. Quintero was set to join the U20 squad again for the 2013 Toulon Tournament, but Pescara…

Quintero is known for his playmaking, unpredictable creativity, and ball control. He is also known for his powerful long range shot and set-pieces, and he has used this ability to deliver precise crosses, passes, and score many free-kicks throughout his career. Due to his small stature, Quintero naturally has a lower center of gravity, allowing him to have higher balance and agility, similar to that of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. However, Quintero does not possess the quickness and balanced weak foot that the aforementioned players had; and at times Quintero has been criticized for being overweight. His lack of quickness has also drawn comparisons to James Rodríguez, due to the fact that they have lacked pace throughout their careers and both play in the #10 role. Quintero states that as a child his main inspiration was Brazilian legend Rivaldo.

Club

As of match played 24 May 2026

International

As of match played 7 July 2026

Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first.