Juan Fernando Quintero returns to Independiente Medellín on one-year deal

The "magician" came home. Juan Fernando Quintero pulled on Independiente Medellín's training gear this Tuesday for the first time since signing his new contract, a day after the club officially announced the deal that has the entire red fan base buzzing.

The agreement runs for one year, opening a second chapter for the midfielder at the Antioquia club. The first one is still fresh in everyone's memory: it was back in 2017, when Quintero scored 16 goals in 36 matches and won over the fan base for good. Eight years later, he's back in the same jersey, with the same Atanasio Girardot pitch waiting for him.

What's notable is that he isn't walking into a locker room full of strangers. The coach welcoming him is Luis Amaranto Perea, with whom Quintero already worked at the Colombian national team: Perea served as an assistant to Nestor Lorenzo both during World Cup qualifying and at the last World Cup. In other words, the midfielder didn't need any introductions: he already knew how his new coach thinks, and the coach already knew exactly what a player of his caliber can bring.

The club itself didn't hide its excitement over the return. Independiente Medellín put it this way on social media when confirming the signing:

Welcome back home, magician.Independiente Medellín

Quintero's arrival comes at a strong moment for the team on the field. DIM sits just behind league leader América de Cali, with the added detail that it has one fewer match played. The club also remains unbeaten in the tournament with nine points on the board, a solid foundation to which the quality of one of the most talented midfielders Colombian soccer has produced in the last decade is now being added.

The question already circulating among fans is when they'll see him make his official debut in the red jersey. The next date on the calendar is Sunday, August 16, when Medellín visits Internacional de Bogotá at Estadio de Techo for matchday five of the Colombian league. It's still too early to know whether Perea will hand him minutes from the start, but Quintero has already begun training with the squad, the first step toward feeling like a DIM player again.