BOGOTA, April 18, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - When Freddy Rincon died following a
traffic accident last week, he became the fourth player from Colombia's
"golden generation" of the early 1990s to die in a shocking way.

   Before Rincon, known as the "Colossus", center-back Andres Escobar and
striker Albeiro Usuriaga were shot dead in 1994 and 2004 respectively, while
midfielder Herman Gaviria was struck by lightning during a training session
in 2002.

   On Saturday, hundreds of people paid homage to Rincon, the former Napoli,
Real Madrid and Corinthians attacking midfielder, who died at the age of 55
after a collision between his vehicle and a bus in Cali.

   Colombia's first golden generation qualifiedg for the 1990 World Cup, the
country's first in 28 years, and qualified again four years later.

   After a stunning 5-0 win away to Argentina in September 1993, Colombia
were widely touted as one of the favorites in the United States, only to be
eliminated in the group stages.

   But they started with a poor 3-1 loss to Romania and then suffered a shock
2-1 upset against the hosts as Escobar scored an own goal.

   A 2-0 victory over Switzerland wasn't enough to prevent early elimination.

   The sporting fiasco turned into a tragedy for Escobar.

   A few days after his return to Colombia, the Atletico Nacional player,
nicknamed "The Gentleman" for his impeccable behavior, was shot six times
outside a bar in Medellin by the driver of a drug trafficker apparently as
punishment for the own goal. He was just 27.

   Speculation swirled that Colombia's defeat had hurt big bets by cartels,
at a time when Medellin was experiencing a wave of violence due to drug
trafficking.

   - Crime of passion -

   In 1989, Usuriaga and Escobar were part of the Atletico Nacional side that
became the first ever Colombian winners of the Copa Libertadores, the South
American equivalent of the Champions League.

   Usuriaga's only goal for Colombia was the one that secured qualification
for the 1990 World Cup, in a 1-0 aggregate intercontinental play-off victory
over Israel.

   His career was marked by scandals, including a suspension in 1997 after
testing positive for cocaine while playing for Argentine club Independiente.

   In February 2004, Usuriaga, then 37, was shot seven times in a nightclub
near his home in Cali. The authorities ruled the murder a crime of passion.

   The talented Herman Gaviria, who opened the scoring in 1994 against
Switzerland, was one of the few to emerge from that fiasco in the US with his
reputation enhanced.

   In October 2002, he died when he was struck by lightning during a training
session with Deportivo Cali at the age of 32.

   Other members of Colombia's original golden generation have also had
eventful lives.

   Goalkeeper Rene Higuita, 55, was imprisoned between late 1993 and January
1994 for receiving illicit money for brokering the release of a kidnapped
woman.He was eventually exonerated.

   Rincon spent time behind bars in Brazil, where he was arrested in 2007 at
the request of Panama, which was investigating him for drug money laundering.
He was released after a few months and acquitted.

   Rincon's team-mate at America de Cali, striker Anthony de Avila, has been
in prison since the end of last year in Italy for drug trafficking.