uillermo “Professor” Berrío, who died this Sunday after a heart attack at the age of 54, is remembered as a former player and coach of Colombian football, with an extensive professional career and a symbol of Atlético Huila.
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Born in Amagá (Antioquia), Berrío left Cali at a very young age with his family and there he began his career in football, as a player in the minor divisions of America de Cali, a club where he began his career as a professional footballer in 1986. .
He had a remarkable time in tournament B: he got four promotions as a player: with Envigado, in 1991; Atlético Huila, in 1992; Deportivo Pereira, in 2000, and Deportes Quindío, in 2001.
Professor Berrío in his time as a footballer.
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He also played in the first division Cúcuta Deportivo, Atlético Bucaramanga and Deportes Tolima, in addition to a two-year stint in Peruvian football, in Unión Minas and Juan Aurich and in Venezuela, as he was loaned out to Deportivo Táchira for six months before returning to Deportes Tolima.
He is the biggest historical scorer for Huila in the first division, with 48 goals scored. In fact, the opita club was one of the first to express a message of condolences for the footballer’s death, which he considers a symbol of the institution.
The president, the members of the board of directors, the administrative and sports staff of the Atlético Huila Sports Club deeply regret the death of Guillermo “Profesor” Berrío, emblematic player of our institution, leader of the promotion in 1992 … pic.twitter.com/26Vp3WtjAn
– Atlético Huila (@AtleticoHuilaof) April 12, 2021
After retiring as a player, Berrío became the coach of Atlético Huila’s minor divisions and was also Néstor Otero’s technical assistant in the main team.
In 2008 he has the opportunity to direct in the last 5 dates of the final championship, as an intermediary.
Guillermo Berrío scored 48 goals with Huila and is their top scorer. Then he was the coach of the same club.
Archive / TIME
In the middle of the 2009 Apertura tournament, he took over the club again, before the departure of Miguel Augusto Prince. It was then ratified into office.
He held this position until April 6, 2011, when he was suspended for 3 months by Dimayor after assaulting a referee.
In addition, he was a technician of Medellin independent between 2011 and 2012. In 2013 he took over in Alianza Petrolera. His last coaching experience was at Deportivo Pasto, which he led in 2015.
The Professor’s nickname was given by a colleague from the block where he lived in Cali. “In the Doce de Octubre block where players like El Palomo (Usuriaga), Mánimal Cortés and Niche Guerrero appeared, I had a partner whom I called the madman, who knew a lot about football. In front I had a kind of manga (paddock) that I adapted to play football with Guadua bows. He would sit there, watch me play, and tell me, “This man is a teacher with that ball, that’s why I’m going to call you El Teacher,” Berrío told Fútbol Code.
Berrío died of a heart attack while playing a football game with his friends to celebrate his 54th birthday.
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