Tomás Ángel

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ángel and the second or maternal family name is Gutiérrez.
Tomás Ángel
Personal information
Full name Tomás Ángel Gutiérrez
Date of birth (2003-02-20) 20 February 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Los Angeles FC
Number 21
Youth career
Atlético Nacional
C.D. Estudiantil
2020–2021 Atlético Nacional
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 Atlético Nacional 40 (6)
2024– Los Angeles FC 0 (0)
2024– Los Angeles FC 2 0 (0)
International career‡
2021–2023 Colombia U20 23 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:02, 21 July 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:02, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Tomás Ángel Gutiérrez (born 20 February 2003) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.

Early life[edit]

Ángel was born on 20 February 2003 to former footballer Juan Pablo Ángel, while Juan Pablo was playing in England for Aston Villa. Because of this, Tomás Ángel was born in Birmingham, England.[2][3][4] Ángel inherited his passion for football from his father, and would accompany his father to training when he was playing for the New York Red Bulls.[5]

His elder brother Gerónimo is a musician, actor and model who featured on Colombian kid's talent show, La Voz Kids [es], while his younger brother Pascual is also a footballer.[6] The three were raised in England until 2007, when they moved to the United States.[4]

Club career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Having lived in the United States until the age of ten, Ángel moved to Colombia in 2013, going on to play for the academy of Atlético Nacional, the former club of his father.[4] He moved to Club Deportivo Estudiantil, where he played under the tutelage of manager Alejandro Restrepo, and regularly topped their goal-scoring charts during his progression through the academy.[7][8]

Atlético Nacional[edit]

2020–2021: Signing and debut[edit]

In early 2020, he returned to Atlético Nacional, where, following good performances for the under-17 side, he was invited to train with the first team, and was named by English newspaper The Guardian in their "Next Generation 2020" list, highlighting the best players born in 2003 worldwide.[7]

He signed his first contract with the club in January 2021, before making his debut in the same month, coming on as a second-half substitute for Andrés Andrade in a 5–2 Categoría Primera A win against Deportivo Pereira.[9][10] Two months later, on 7 March, he scored his first goal for the club in an eventual 1–1 draw with Águilas Doradas; shortly after kick-off, Ángel received the ball from teammate Jefferson Duque, before avoiding a tackle and placing the ball past Águilas Doradas goalkeeper Carlos Bejarano from the edge of the area.[11]

Having not added to his goal tally for the 2021 season, Ángel spoke with Caracol Radio, stating that he appreciated the support and advice of his father, and that while he knew he had to "earn people's respect by scoring goals and playing well", he had "shown that [he has] what [it takes] to play for Nacional".[12] Following the departure of Atlético Nacional first team coach Alexandre Guimarães in June 2021, Ángel's former manager at Estudiantil, Alejandro Restrepo, was appointed manager, and despite him not having a consistent run in the first team, Ángel said that he respected Restrepo's decisions, and that he did not want to waste the opportunity to play in his natural position when it arose.[13]

2022: Failure to build on debut[edit]

Ángel did not feature at the beginning of the 2022 season, and having been played as a winger the previous year by manager Restrepo, rather than his natural centre-forward role, Ángel stated in a press conference that he had spoken with Restrepo and informed him that he wished to play in his natural position.[14] Following Restrepo's departure from the club in February 2022, his replacement, Hernán Herrera, gave Ángel only one start, in a total of four appearances, between March and July 2022.[15] After Herrera also left the club, interim manager Pedro Sarmiento stated that he also did not see Ángel as a centre-forward, and following this interview, Ángel would not feature for the rest of the season.[16]

2023: Return to the first team[edit]

Following the appointment of new manager Paulo Autuori, Ángel returned to the Atlético Nacional first team, and after a good start to the season, scoring five goals in the 2023 Torneo Apertura, Ángel was linked with a move to Spanish side Barcelona.[17] On 16 February 2023, Ángel came off the bench to score two goals and provide an assist to help Nacional to a 4-3 victory over Deportivo Pereira to capture the 2023 Superliga Colombiana.[18] However, after Autuori departed the club, his replacement, William Amaral, selected youth player Jayder Asprilla as his centre-forward for the 2023 Torneo Finalización, ahead of Ángel.[19]

Los Angeles FC[edit]

On 31 of January 2024, Ángel joined Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC.[20]

International career[edit]

Having already represented Colombia at under-20 level, Ángel was left out of the squad ahead of the 2023 South American U-20 Championship, with manager Héctor Cárdenas stating that he had problems coexisting with other members of the squad.[21] In an interview with Caracol Radio, Ángel responded, stating that Cárdenas' claim was "a lie", and that he and his teammates were "very fond of each other".[21] At a later press conference, Ángel said that it was his inactivity with Atlético Nacional in the 2022 season that had denied him a place in the squad.[22] Ahead of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in May 2023, Ángel stated in an interview with Medellín-based newspaper El Colombiano that he was hoping to be called up to the final squad.[8]

Having been included in the squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Ángel was brought on as a late substitute in Colombia's opening 2–1 win against Israel. In the following game against Japan, he was brought on at half-time for Jorge Cabezas Hurtado, and helped Colombia overturn a 1–0 deficit to win 2–1, scoring the second goal after Yáser Asprilla had levelled the scoreline.[23] In the round of 16 game against Slovakia, Ángel provided two goals as Colombia won 5–1.[24]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of 21 July 2023[25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Atlético Nacional 2021 Categoría Primera A 12 1 3[a] 0 0 0 0 0 15 1
2022 4 0 1[a] 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
2023 24 5 4[a] 2 4[b] 0 0 0 32 7
Career total 40 6 8 2 4 0 0 0 52 8
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in the Copa Colombia
  2. ^ Appearances in the Copa Libertadores

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tomás Ángel". atlnacional.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Mundial Sub 20: ¿Quién es Tomás Ángel, jugador de la Selección Colombia que clasificó a los octavos de final?" [Sub 20 World Cup: Who is Tomás Ángel, player of the Colombian National Team that qualified for the round of 16?]. elpais.com.co (in Spanish). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. ^ Gómez Martínez, Gustavo (31 May 2023). "Piden a Tomás Ángel en la Premier para que el Bambino Pons le cante "Angeli, Angelitooo"" [They ask Tomás Ángel in the Premier for Bambino Pons to sing "Angeli, Angelitooo"]. lafm.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Uria, Maximiliano (3 June 2023). "Tomás Ángel, el hijo de Juan Pablo: "Mi viejo jugaba con Aimar y Saviola, qué locura"" [Tomás Ángel, the son of Juan Pablo: "My old man played with Aimar and Saviola, how crazy"]. clarin.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Tomás y Juan Pablo Ángel se confiesan en SEMANA: su futuro, la relación padre e hijo y las criticas por el apellido" [Tomás and Juan Pablo Ángel confess in SEMANA: their future, the father-son relationship and criticism for the last name]. semana.com (in Spanish). 18 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  6. ^ Puero, Guillermo (26 May 2023). "Quién es quién en la vida de Tomás Ángel" [Who is who in the life of Tomás Ángel]. futbolete.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b Christenson, Marcus; Powell, Jim; Blight, Garry (8 October 2020). "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  8. ^ a b ""Es una bendición ser hijo de Juan Pablo": Tomás Ángel habla en esta entrevista de su momento con Nacional" ["It is a blessing to be the son of Juan Pablo": Tomás Ángel speaks in this interview about his time with Nacional]. elcolombiano.com (in Spanish). 25 February 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Tomás Ángel, el hijo de Juan Pablo, firma con Atlético Nacional" [Tomás Ángel, the son of Juan Pablo, signs with Atlético Nacional] (in Spanish). 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Así fue el debut de Tomás Ángel con Atlético Nacional" [This was the debut of Tomás Ángel with Atlético Nacional]. colombia.as.com (in Spanish). 30 January 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Siguiendo el camino de su padre: Tomás Ángel anotó su primer gol con Nacional" [Following his father's path: Tomás Ángel scored his first goal with Nacional]. elespectador.com (in Spanish). 7 March 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  12. ^ Valderrama, Felipe (11 August 2021). "Tomás Ángel: "Yo me he ganado lo mío y estoy construyendo mi legado"" [Tomás Ángel: "I have earned what is mine and I am building my legacy"]. caracol.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  13. ^ Rios, Serio. "Tomás Ángel motivado para el 2022 con Atlético Nacional" [Tomás Ángel motivated for 2022 with Atlético Nacional]. nacionalespasion.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Tomás Ángel: el pedido que le hizo a Alejandro Restrepo" [Tomás Ángel: the request he made to Alejandro Restrepo]. radiomunera.com (in Spanish). 10 February 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  15. ^ "DT de Nacional cambiaría posición del hijo de Juan Pabló Ángel: "No es la mejor para él"" [DT of Nacional would change the position of the son of Juan Pabló Ángel: "It is not the best for him"]. pulzo.com (in Spanish). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  16. ^ "¿Por qué Sarmiento quiere cambiar la posición de Tomás Ángel?" [Why does Sarmiento want to change the position of Tomás Ángel?]. colombia.as.com (in Spanish). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  17. ^ Lora, Luis (14 June 2023). "Calló bocas y en Barcelona lo quieren: Tomás Ángel dejaría al Atlético Nacional" [He shut up mouths and in Barcelona they want him: Tomás Ángel would leave Atlético Nacional]. la10.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  18. ^ Prieto, Juan Sebastián (16 February 2023). "Atlético Nacional: Tomás Ángel habló tras ser protagonista en la Superliga BetPlay" [Tomás Ángel spoke after starring in the Superliga BetPlay]. colombia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  19. ^ Sanchez, Jairo (16 July 2023). "¿Por qué no juega Tomás Ángel en Atlético Nacional con William Amaral?" [Why doesn't Tomás Ángel play in Atlético Nacional with William Amaral?]. soyverdolaga.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  20. ^ "LAFC Signs Colombian Forward Tomás Ángel". Los Angeles FC. January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  21. ^ a b González Ruiz, Sergio Iván (17 February 2023). "Tomás Ángel le salió al paso a Héctor Cárdenas: "Es todo mentira"" [Tomás Ángel came up to Héctor Cárdenas: "It's all a lie"]. bolavip.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  22. ^ Romero, Pablo (18 January 2023). "Tomás Ángel habló duro sobre su ausencia de la sub-20: se desahogó" [Tomás Ángel spoke hard about his absence from the sub-20: he vented]. eltiempo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Honrarás a tu padre: Tomás Ángel brilla ante los ojos de Juan Pablo" [You will honor your father: Tomás Ángel shines before the eyes of Juan Pablo]. fifa.com (in Spanish). 24 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  24. ^ "El doblete de Tomás Ángel, el delantero de Colombia que sigue los pasos de Juan Pablo y le "encanta" River" [The double of Tomás Ángel, the Colombian striker who follows in the footsteps of Juan Pablo and "loves" River]. tycsports.com (in Spanish). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  25. ^ Tomás Ángel at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
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