Faryd Mon

About

Colombian former professional soccer player who starred as a goalkeeper for several teams, most notably for the Turkish club Galatasaray and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. He also played over 50 times for the Colombian national team.

Before Fame

He started his career at Colombia's Deportivo Cali, then moved to Independiente Santa Fe and later to Cerro Porteño in Paraguay. His career took off when he joined the Argentine first-division side Argentinos Juniors in 1993. He made his international debut for Colombia that same year.

Trivia

Throughout his playing career, he'd had various offers to become a model. On the field, his 10 straight shutouts for Cologne beat German great Oliver Kahn's run for the most shutouts in the Bundesliga. At his last World Cup appearance for Colombia in 2014, he was the oldest man ever to play in the finals. In 2016, two years after retiring, he attempted suicide.

Family Life

He was born Faryd Camilo Món Alí in Cali, Colombia, and is of Lebanese descent. His first name means "unique or unmatched" in Arabic.

Associated With

During his career, he played with Lukas Podolski, Carlos Valderrama, James Rodríguez, and Juan Cuadrado.