Fabián "El Cacique" Ángel

Fabián Steven Ángel Bernal (born 10 January 2001) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Atlético Junior.

Early life Ángel was born in the small city of Sogamoso in the Boyacá Department of Colombia, to a father who played futsal for and the Colombia national futsal team. As a child, his father would take him to play football in the Magdalena neighbourhood.

Club career Early career Ángel began his career in Sogamoso, playing with local sides under the tutelage of coaches Nelson Castillo and Fernando López, where his performances earned him a place in the representative team of the Boyacá Department. After one appearance in the Copa Colombia, Ángel joined the side permanently for the 2020 season, making his Categoría Primera A debut and a handful of appearances for the side across all competitions. He renewed his contract with the club in January 2021, signing on until 2023.

2021–2022: Establishing first team football He established himself in the first team during the 2021 season, and his performances reportedly drew interest from Argentine side River Plate. In an interview with Argentine radio show ¿Cómo te va? (How are you doing?), Ángel stated that he would "love to go to River". On 23 September 2021, during a game against Atlético Huila, both Ángel and teammate Willer Ditta appeared to snort an unknown substance on the pitch. Ángel explained on his Instagram account that the substance was a form of ammonia used to open the nostrils in order to breathe better. Atlético Junior issued a statement saying that, while Ángel and Ditta did not have permission from the medical staff to use the substance, it was not an illegal product, nor did it breach doping rules.

2022: Loan to Newell's Old Boys The following season, Ángel scored his first goal for Atlético Junior, opening the scoring in an eventual 4–0 win against Envigado in the Categoría Primera A on 1 May 2022. Just a month later, he moved to Argentina, signing with Argentine Primera División side Newell's Old Boys on a one-year loan deal with a purchase option, joining teammate Willer Ditta, who had also joined on a similar loan deal, in the process. Having made his debut in the 0–0 draw against Racing Club on 16 July, he would have to wait until 8 August to feature again, coming on as a late substitute for Guillermo Balzi in a 4–2 Copa Argentina win over Aldosivi. Two weeks later, he suffered what was diagnosed a bone bruise in his left knee by Newell's medical staff, after an injury in training. After being initially ruled out for five weeks, he had still not featured by the end of the 2022 season, with Newell's issuing a new diagnosis in November, stating that Ángel had suffered a sprained knee with advanced partial injury of the posterior cruciate ligament. He underwent surgery on his knee in December, keeping him out for eight months.

2023: Return to Colombia for treatment Having been ruled out of the entirety of the 2023 season by Newell's manager Gabriel Heinze, Ángel returned to Colombia for the surgery and rehabilitation. Ángel posted an update in May 2023, announcing that the MRI scans he had undergone "showed constant improvements". Later the same month, in an interview with Barranquilla-based newspaper El Heraldo, he stated that Newell's Old Boys had yet to make a decision on the purchase option, and if he were to return to Atlético Junior, he would help them fight for the Colombian league title.

International career Ángel was called up to represent the Colombian under-17 side at the 2017 Bolivarian Games, where he starred in the final as Colombia beat Ecuador 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 2–2 draw. Having also represented Colombia at under-18 level, Ángel was called up to the under-20 and senior squads without featuring.

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