Argentinean Nestor Lorenzo has been appointed as the coach of the Colombian national football team after he previously served as an assistant coach in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, according to the local football federation.

The Colombian federation confirmed in a statement that Lorenzo will oversee the “Cafeteros” moniker for the next four years, leading up to the World Cup finals in Canada, the United States and Mexico in 2026.

The 56-year-old manager of the Peruvian club Málaga replaces national team coach Rinaldo Rueda, who failed to lead his country to qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as Colombia ended the South American qualifiers with a streak of 7 points. matches in which no goals were scored.

Lorenzo, who reached the final of the 1990 Italian World Cup with Argentina (lost 0-1 to Germany), is the former Colombian and Atlético Madrid international defender Amaranto Beria.

Lorenzo also worked as an assistant coach to his compatriot José Pekerman with the Cafeteros during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he achieved his best result ever, reaching the quarter-finals and Russia 2018.

The Colombian Football Association has not specified whether Lorenzo will supervise the national team’s practice on Sunday in its friendly match against a Saudi counterpart in the latter’s preparations for an international football wedding in Qatar.