The Colombia national football team enjoyed their most successful period between the mid-eighties and the late nineties. They qualified for three world cups in a row which included the 1990, 1994 and 1998 editions. Something many football fans will either remember or be aware is goalkeeper Rene Higuita performing a scorpion kick save at Wembley against England in 1995.
Following this period the Colombia national football team did have success in the 2001 Copa America, as they won the competition with a 100% record and kept a clean sheet for the entire tournament. After their 1998 appearance in France they did not qualify for another world cup until 2014.
This can be attributed to a period of corruption within Colombia as well as an event which shocked the world. Andres Escobar, a defender for Colombia who played in the 1994 world cup, was murdered because of an own-goal he scored in that tournament. This resulted in many star-players quitting the national team.