Duvan Zapata

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

After starting his career with Colombian club América de Cali, Zapata would go on to play for Estudiantes in Argentina. From 2013, he played in Italy's Serie A, for Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria, Atalanta and Torino. Zapata became well known during his time at Atalanta, where he would form a striker partnership with fellow compatriot Luis Muriel. Having previously played for Colombia's U20 team, at international level, Zapata made his senior debut for Colombia in 2017, and took part at the Copa América in 2019 and 2021.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Zapata at Atalanta is one of relentless evolution and record-breaking resilience. After joining on loan in July 2018, he quickly became fundamental to the team's success. On 26 December 2018, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw against Juventus, but it was his explosion against Frosinone weeks later that cemented his legend. The goals he scored were not just statistics; they propelled him to share the league's top scorer title with global superstars. On 30 January 2019, he added two more in a 3–0 Coppa Italia quarter-final win over Juventus, guiding Atalanta to their first-ever final. By 1 October 2019, he scored Atalanta's historic first UEFA Champions League goal against Shakhtar Donetsk. His journey culminated on 17 January 2020 when the club exercised their option to buy him permanently. Even after a three-month injury layoff, he returned to score in a 7–0 rout of Torino. The pinnacle of his goal-scoring synergy came on 11 July 2020, when he netted his 15th league goal, making Atalanta the first club since Juventus in 1952 to have three players (Muriel, Iličić, and Zapata) reach that mark in a single season.

Reader's Guide

Zapata is primarily known for his speed, offensive movement, physicality, and goalscoring ability as a striker. He usually plays in a central role, and possesses a powerful and accurate shot. He is also known for his ability in the air, courtesy of his height, strength, and powerful physique, which also aids him in defending the ball with his back to goal, and enables him to hold up possession and bring his teammates into the game with his link-up play; he is also adept in one on one situations due to his technique and agility. Moreover, he is known for his defensive work-rate and willingness to press opponents off the ball.

Did You Know?

• Zapata scored four goals in a 5–0 away win versus Frosinone on 20 January 2019, becoming the first Atalanta player since Hasse Jeppson in 1952 to achieve this feat in Serie A.
• He scored Atalanta's first ever goal in the UEFA Champions League on 1 October 2019 in a 2–1 loss against Shakhtar Donetsk.
• Zapata is the cousin of former Colombia international defender Cristián Zapata.

Early Career and South American Breakthrough

Zapata joined América de Cali's youth academy in 2004 at age 13. He made his first-team debut on 18 May 2008 against Boyaca Chico, scoring a goal in a 3–2 loss. In July 2008, he started both legs of the finals but did not participate in the December 2008 title-winning matches. On 13 February 2011, he scored his first career hat-trick against Deportivo Pereira. He left the club at the end of the 2011 Apertura. On 27 July 2011, he joined Estudiantes on loan for a $120,000 fee with a $1.2 million purchase option. He scored on his debut in a 3–2 win over Belgrano. During the Torneo Clausura 2012, he scored four goals in eight matches. In July 2013, Estudiantes purchased half of his rights from América de Cali. For the 2013–14 season, he scored 16 goals in 33 games, attracting interest from Beşiktaş and West Ham United. Although West Ham agreed a £6.7 million fee, they withdrew from the deal due to work permit issues.

Italian Journey and Atalanta Stardom

On 25 August 2013, Zapata transferred to Napoli. He made his Serie A debut on 28 September in a 2–0 win against Genoa and scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on 22 October against Marseille. On 26 March 2014, he scored two goals in a 4–2 win at Catania. On 22 July 2015, he joined Udinese on a two-year loan with an option to purchase. On 31 August 2017, he moved to Sampdoria on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy. On 12 July 2018, he joined Atalanta on a two-season loan with an option to purchase. On 26 December 2018, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw against Juventus. On 20 January 2019, he became the first Atalanta player since Hasse Jeppson in 1952 to score four goals in a Serie A match, netting all four in a 5–0 win versus Frosinone. This brought his tally to 14 goals in his last 8 matches, tying him with Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Quagliarella as the league's top scorer. On 30 January 2019, he scored twice in a 3–0 Coppa Italia quarter-final win against Juventus. Atalanta finished third in Serie A, qualifying for the Champions League, with Zapata scoring 23 league goals. He was named to the Serie A Team of the Year for 2018–19. On 1 October 2019, he scored Atalanta's first-ever UEFA Champions League goal against Shakhtar Donetsk. On 17 January 2020, Atalanta exercised their option to buy him permanently. He returned from a three-month injury a week later with a goal in a 7–0 win over Torino. On 11 July 2020, he scored his 15th goal of the season against Juventus, making Atalanta the first club since Juventus in 1952 to have three players score 15 or more goals in a season (Muriel, Iličić, Zapata). On 27 October 2020, he scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Ajax. On 15 May 2021, he became Atalanta's joint-highest non-Italian goalscorer with Germán Denis, scoring his 56th league goal for the club.

International Debut and National Team Service

Zapata previously played for Colombia's U20 team. He received his first senior call-up in March 2017 for World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Ecuador. He made his debut on 23 March as a substitute for Mateus Uribe in a 1–0 win over Bolivia. In May 2018, he was named in the preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup but did not make the final 23-man roster. On 30 May 2019, he was included in the final squad for the 2019 Copa América. He scored his first international goal on 9 June in a 3–0 friendly win against Peru after replacing Radamel Falcao at half time. He also scored in group games against Argentina and Qatar. In June 2021, he was included in the squad for the 2021 Copa América. He converted Colombia's first penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out against Uruguay, which Colombia won 4–2 after a 0–0 draw. Colombia finished third; Zapata appeared in 7 matches but did not score.

Leadership Role and Recent Challenges

On 1 September 2023, Zapata joined Torino on a season-long loan with an option to buy and a conditional €7 million obligation to buy. In July 2024, he joined the club permanently and was named captain. On 6 October 2024, he sustained an ACL injury against Inter Milan, sidelining him for the rest of the 2024–25 season. On 8 December 2025, he scored his first goal after returning to action in a 3–2 defeat against Milan.