The Real Cartagena Sentinel
Match20 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Real Cartagena's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Real Cartagena has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Juan David Rodríguez in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Real Cartagena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom22 Jan 2029
Graduation day at Real Cartagena
6 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Cristian Graciano falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Market22 Jan 2029
Mateo Giraldo steps up from the Real Cartagena academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Mateo Giraldo has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market22 Jan 2029
Real Cartagena promote Ivan Torres from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Ivan Torres has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market22 Jan 2029
Johan Martinez steps up from the Real Cartagena academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Johan Martinez has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market22 Jan 2029
Real Cartagena promote Leonardo Muriel from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Leonardo Muriel has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Player ratings22 Jan 2029
A masterclass from Jairo Ditta
Marked 8.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
In brief
- Boardroom A promise the Real Cartagena board did not keep
- Squad The manager makes an example of Sebastián Valbuena
- Match Real Cartagena share the spoils with Millonarios