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Cristián Eduardo Zapata Valencia (born 30 September 1986) is a Colombian professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
for
Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional association football, football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the countr ...
. A quick and physically powerful defender, known for his hard marking of opponents and strength in the air, he usually plays as a
centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. Although naturally right footed, he can also play as a full-back on either side of the pitch, as he is comfortable with both feet. Zapata began his career in Colombia with
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
in 2004, moving to
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
club
Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a foo ...
the following year. After spending several seasons with Udinese, Zapata signed for Spanish club
Villarreal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...
. In 2012, he returned to Italy, joining
AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 season ...
. Following the expiration of his contract with the ''Rossoneri'', he joined Italian top-flight counterpart
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...
in 2019, departing in 2021 to join
Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; en, "First Division"), known officialy as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Binance for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). T ...
side
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
. A
Colombian international The Colombian International also known as the Colombiano Internacional also known as the International Championships of Colombia or Campeonatos Internacionales de Colombia was a men's and women's clay court tennis tournament established in 1951 an ...
since 2008, he has represented his nation at the 2011,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, 2016, and
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
editions of the
Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
, as well at the
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
s.


Club career


Early career and Udinese

A product of Deportivo Cali's youth academy, Zapata was quickly promoted to the first team in 2004. In his first season, Zapata played a total of 25 games with ''Los Azucareros'' while also consolidating himself as a key component of the team's defensive end. After exhibiting quality defensive assets in his debut season, several European teams were interested in acquiring him. Ultimately, his destiny laid in
Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with ...
and eventually joined
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
club
Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a foo ...
. Also, this leap to European football was one month before his 19th birthday and ultimately consisted of a €550,000 transfer fee. Zapata was signed by Udinese on 31 August 2005 from
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
, along with team-mate
Abel Aguilar Abel Enrique Aguilar Tapias (born 6 January 1985) is a Colombian retired professional footballer who played as a central or defensive midfielder. Having started his career at Deportivo Cali, Aguilar signed with Italian club Udinese at the age o ...
. Both of them were scouted by Udinese while playing at the U-20 World Cup. He made his first appearance with the squad on 19 November 2005 against Messina Pelero for the
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
. On 18 September 2006, Zapata signed a new five-year
contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to ...
. That season he started 35 Serie A games. Cristián Zapata employed Claudio Pasqualin (of P.D.P. srl) as his
agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuran ...
on 21 February 2006, but fired him on 9 July 2007. In 2009 the ''Tribunale Nazionale di Arbitrato per lo Sport'' awarded Pasqualin eligible to receive €38,900 as agent fee that Zapata owed Pasqualin (5% of annual salary times 2 seasons, 2006–07 and 2007–08). In October 2007, Zapata along with
Andrea Dossena Andrea Dossena (; born 11 September 1981) is an Italian football coach and former player who played as a left winger or left back. He is the head coach of Renate. Dossena started his professional career at Verona in 2001, having progressed thr ...
,
Roman Eremenko Roman Alekseyevich Eremenko (russian: Роман Алексеевич Ерёменко; born 19 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder who plays for HIFK in the Veikkausliiga. Eremenko is best known for hi ...
and
Simone Pepe Simone Pepe (; born 30 August 1983) is an Italian former footballer who played as a winger, on either side of the pitch. After starting out at Roma, he went on to compete in Serie A for 12 seasons, spending most of his time at Udinese and Juv ...
was awarded new contracts until June 2012. In June 2008, Zapata was injured and missed 6 months. In the 2009–10 season, Zapata usually played as central defender, partnered with
Andrea Coda Andrea Coda (born 25 April 1985) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender. Club career Empoli Coda began playing youth football for Lucchese before joining Empoli, located an hour away from his hometown. He made his debut ...
.


Brief spell at Villarreal

After the 2010–11 season, Cristián Zapata claimed that many top European clubs were interested in signing him. Zapata signed for
Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, in the Castellón province of eastern Spain, ...
on 12 July 2011. On Wednesday 17 August 2011, in the 2011–12 season, Cristián Zapata made his debut against Udinese in a Champions League qualifier. His La Liga debut came on 29 August against
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional Football team, football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish footb ...
at the
Camp Nou Camp Nou (, meaning ''new field'', often referred to in English as the Nou Camp), officially branded as Spotify Camp Nou for sponsorship and financial reasons, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. It has been the home stadium of FC Barc ...
. Deployed as a right-back for the entire game, Zapata and Villarreal suffered a harsh 5–0 defeat. Initially in the season, Zapata would be a regular starter and a key player for
Miguel Ángel Lotina Miguel Ángel Lotina Oruechebarría (; born 18 June 1957) is a Spanish professional manager and former footballer who played as a striker. Playing career Born in Meñaka, Biscay, Lotina started playing football with local Gernika Club, represe ...
. In addition, he was in constant rotation between a right-back and centre-back position. On 31 October, Zapata suffered a knee injury that ruled him out for 35 days. Subsequently, he missed a total of six games including two
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
group stage matches against
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
and Bayern Munich. He made his return from injury in the final group stage match against Italian side
Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. Following a 0–2 defeat, Villarreal finished last of their group with 0 points. On the last match-day of the season, Zapata played the entire match against Atletico Madrid as Villarreal were relegated with fellow countryman
Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and often captains the Colombia national team. Nicknamed "''El Tigre''" (Spanish for ''The Tig ...
scoring the only goal of the game for Atletico. In total, Zapata played 36 matches and provided 1 assist throughout all competitions during his time at Villarreal.


AC Milan

In August 2012, Villarreal announced that Zapata had left the club to join
AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 season ...
on a season-long
loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
. Zapata made headline news in the Champions league against Spanish giants
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
: Milan's opening goal in a 2–0 victory of the first leg involved the ball being deflected on to his hand and landing in front of
Kevin-Prince Boateng Kevin-Prince Boateng (; born 6 March 1987), also known as Prince, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for club Hertha BSC. Born in Germany, he represented the Ghana national team. Coming through the youth system ...
who scored seconds later. The referee did not judge it an attempted touch of the ball but allowed Boateng's goal to be counted, while Zapata was credited with an '
assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: * Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a b ...
'. The replay showed the ball making contact with his face. In his first Milan derby against
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...
, Zapata was praised for his defending and for playing a key role in counter-attacks. In 2013, Zapata signed a contract with Milan until summer 2016. In January 2015, Zapata suffered an injury keeping him sidelined for two months. Upon recovery, he featured as an unused substitute. On 5 February 2017, Zapata was named as captain in his first league game of the season, a 0–1 home defeat against
Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s ...
, due to the absence of team captain
Riccardo Montolivo Riccardo Montolivo (; born 18 January 1985) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Fiorentina, AC Milan, and the Italy national team. A versatile and creative player, Montolivo began ...
and third captain
Mattia De Sciglio Mattia De Sciglio (; born 20 October 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Juventus and the Italy national team. He made his professional debut for Milan in 2011, after several seasons in the club's yo ...
because of injuries. Vice-captain
Ignazio Abate Ignazio Abate (; born 12 November 1986) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a full-back and manager of AC Milan's under-19 side. On early stage deployed as a winger, he was also capable of playing as a wide midfielder or ...
later appeared in the game as a substitute with Zapata keeping the captain's armband. On 15 April 2017, Zapata scored an equalizer in the Milan derby against
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...
at the 97th minute. The match resulted in a 2–2 draw. It was also the first Milan game under the ownership of Rossoneri Sport Investment, headed by
Li Yonghong Li Yonghong (born 16 September 1969) is a Chinese businessman and investor who first came into the public eye in 2016 when he succeeded Silvio Berlusconi as the owner of the Italian football club A.C. Milan. Li is also known for his stock mar ...
, with Zapata giving away his jersey as a gift to the Chinese entrepreneur soon after the final whistle. On 17 April 2018 he was confirmed to be vice-captain instead of
Giacomo Bonaventura Giacomo "Jack" Bonaventura (; (born 22 August 1989) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italy national football team. Bonaventura started his senior career at Atalanta in the Serie ...
as he kept the armband during the game against
S.S.C. Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli (), is an Italian professional football club based in the city of Naples ( it, Napoli, nap, Napule), Campania that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. Napoli ha ...
, where captain
Leonardo Bonucci Leonardo Bonucci (; born 1 May 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and captains both club Juventus and the Italy national team. Known for his technique and ball-playing ability, he is regarded as one of the ...
was unavailable and
Giacomo Bonaventura Giacomo "Jack" Bonaventura (; (born 22 August 1989) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italy national football team. Bonaventura started his senior career at Atalanta in the Serie ...
was playing, he celebrated this news with an outstanding performance with his former
Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, in the Castellón province of eastern Spain, ...
teammate
Mateo Musacchio Mateo Pablo Musacchio (, ; born 26 August 1990) is an Argentine former footballer who plays as a central defender. He spent most of his professional career with Villarreal after signing as a 19-year-old, going on to appear in 249 competitive m ...
. Zapata began the 2018–19 season with injury, and was third-choice centre-back behind Musacchio and
Alessio Romagnoli Alessio Romagnoli (born 12 January 1995) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Lazio and the Italy national team. Romagnoli began his career with Roma in 2012, and later spent a season on loan with Sampdoria ...
. His first appearance of the season came on 4 October, in Milan's second
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
match, a 3–1 at home to
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
. Zapata started the club's final five matches in Europe, including their final match away to Olympiacos, in which Zapata scored at both ends in the second half, two minutes apart. Milan entered the match three points ahead of Olympiacos, seeking to qualify for the knockout stage alongside
Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vi ...
. Milan were losing 1–0 prior to Zapata's goals; the own goal would have sent Olympiacos through on
away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
, and the proper goal would have sent Milan through on aggregate. A late penalty was scored by
Kostas Fortounis Konstantinos 'Kostas' Fortounis ( gr, Κωνσταντίνος 'Κώστας' Φορτούνης, ; born 16 October 1992) is a Greek professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a Midfielder#Winger, winge ...
for Olympiacos, and Milan were eliminated as the 3–1 result held, their first group stage elimination in Europe since
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...
. Zapata's
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
season debut came on 7 October, at home to
Chievo Verona Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona, commonly referred to as ChievoVerona or simply Chievo , is a former professional Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 4,500 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a ...
. However, Zapata would not play regularly until Musacchio picked up an injury against Real Betis on 8 November. Musacchio missed five games due to the injury, but did not regain his place in the Serie A team following his return to fitness. Zapata started seven of Milan's final eight Serie A matches in 2018 following Musacchio's injury, and also started the club's
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity ...
extra-time win over
Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s ...
and their
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seas ...
defeat to
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
in 2019. Zapata's run in the team came to an end as he picked up an injury early in Milan's first Serie A game of 2019, away to
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...
. He would not be named to a match-day squad for two months, and by the time he returned, Musacchio had cemented his place in the back line alongside Romagnoli. Zapata would get two more starts the rest of the campaign, finishing the season with 20 appearances in all competitions as his contract with the club expired.


Genoa

On 2 July 2019, Zapata signed a two-year contract with
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
club
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...
on a free transfer. Upon his arrival, he became the first Colombian player to sign for Genoa.


San Lorenzo

On 29 July 2021, Zapata joined Argentine side
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
, signing a contract until the end of the 2022 season.


Atlético Nacional

On 2 December 2022, Zapata returned to Colombia after 17 years, signing with
Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional association football, football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the countr ...
on a free transfer.


International career

Zapata was a member of Colombian U-20 team that won the
2005 South American Youth Championship The 2005 South American Youth Championship (Sudamericana sub-20) was a football competition contested by all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in Colombia between 13 January and 6 February 2005, it was the 22n ...
and the team that played at
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Wor ...
, who lost to
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
in the round of 16. Zapata was unavailable in the first 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match, Zapata finally got his first spot chance since under new coach
Jose Pekerman Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the G ...
against South American leaders Argentina. In the 26th minute, while defending the ball inside Colombia's box from
Gonzalo Higuaín Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín (; born 10 December 1987) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed ''El Pipita'' or ''Pipa'', Higuaín was a prolific striker, known for his eye for goal, strong physique, and of ...
, Higuain fell to the side while losing balance and kicked the thigh of Zapata in anger. In reaction, Zapata questioned him and kicked him back, resulting in him receiving a red card along with Higuain. Zapata was later criticized for not controlling himself and allowing the referee to give Higuain the red card while simply walking away, which would have allowed Colombia an 11 men advantage over a 10 men Argentina. In May 2018 he was named in Colombia's preliminary 35-man squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
. On 30 May 2019, Zapata was included in the 23-man final Colombia squad for the
2019 Copa América The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 J ...
.


Personal life

Zapata's aunt Limbaina Zapata was
kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically ...
on 1 May 2013. The kidnappers demanded $150 million in
ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...
. The following day, the
National Police of Colombia The National Police of Colombia (Spanish: ''Policía Nacional de Colombia'') is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it ...
located the
thieves Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for so ...
in
Miranda, Cauca Miranda is a town and municipality in the Cauca Department, Colombia. History It was on May 7, 1899 when Don Julio Fernández Medina founded the city, since then the community mixed among Afro-Descendant, Indigenous people, Mulatto (, ...
, Colombia, and Limbaina Zapata was released with no harm.Liberan a tía del jugador Cristian Zapata
(in Spanish). ''rcnradio.com''. 1 May 2013.
Aunty of AC Milan’s Cristian Zapata kidnapped in Colombia
''fanatix.com''. 1 May 2013.
He is the cousin of fellow professional footballer Duván Zapata. On 7 November 2020 he tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''As of match played 10 November 2017. Colombia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zapata goal.''


Honours

AC Milan *
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seas ...
: 2016 Atlético Nacional *
Superliga Colombiana The Superliga Colombiana (''Colombian Superleague''), officially known as Superliga BetPlay DIMAYOR due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is an official competition contested between the winners of the Apertura and Finalización t ...
:
2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
Colombia U20 *
South American Youth Championship The South American Youth Football Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and es, Torneo Juventudes de América, "Campeonato Sudamericano Sub 20" or pt, Juventude da América (English: "America's Youth") is a South American ...
:
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
Colombia *
Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
third place: 2016


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zapata, Cristian 1986 births Living people Colombian men's footballers Colombian expatriate men's footballers Colombian people of African descent Footballers from Cauca Department Men's association football central defenders Colombia men's under-20 international footballers Colombia men's international footballers 2011 Copa América players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Copa América players Copa América Centenario players 2018 FIFA World Cup players 2019 Copa América players Deportivo Cali footballers Atlético Nacional footballers Udinese Calcio players Villarreal CF players AC Milan players Genoa CFC players San Lorenzo de Almagro footballers Categoría Primera A players Serie A players La Liga players Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Spain