The documentary The Two Escobars gives new meaning to the phrase ‘related by blood’.  Two men with the same last name, one the Capone of the Columbia Drug Lords and the other an upstanding young man, faithful catholic, and gifted soccer player, cross paths briefly.  When the dust settles, we find that neither of them survived.

In the land of flaring tempers, flying bullets, and feudal turf wars, there was one thing that could make bitter enemies sit side by side with the same joy and objective – Soccer.  The national team, made up of some astonishing skills and a great camaraderie, had taken the world by storm, winning the South American Championship in 1989 and defeating some of the toughest competition available in 26 of the 27 games leading up to the 1994 World Cup semi-finals.  The most memorable of those games was the defeat of Argentina, in Argentina, with a score of 5-0.  For this, the Argentinian people gave them a standing ovation.  Columbia had an excellent shot at winning the Cup, and this is where we find the men in question, the two Escobars.

Pablo Escobar was king.  He had contacts among the Russian and Italian mafias, ruled the largest Colombian crime ring and its communities with an iron fist and deftly manipulated the government’s key decision makers, all while being better than Robin Hood to the poor.  He spent millions to turn favelas (literal trash dumps where the poor make their home) into reasonable apartment buildings, added clinics and schools, and planted soccer fields among the poor neighborhoods like a garden.  He provided much of the funding for the national soccer team, and in turn, ticket sales provided a handy way to launder millions in drug money.  He frequently brought the team to his sprawling home and private soccer field for ‘fantasy soccer’ matches, flying in stars from around the world to participate in teams selected by those invited to gamble on the outcome.  When he later turned himself in and was incarcerated, he arranged for a soccer field to be built in the prison yard, while he still called the shots (literally) for his crime syndicate from behind bars.  It is said that nothing happened in that town without Pablo’s blessing.

Andres Escobar was the golden boy.  On his shoulders, or rather, in his feet, he carried the hopes and dreams of a drug-devastated, depressed and fearful nation.  He and his teammates set out to change the reputation of Columbia from the place of murder to the place of soccer champions, with hopes that the cooperation required in the sport might inspire their countrymen to develop better sportsmanship in their day-to-day interactions.  They made it their goal and quest to encourage and support young people, hoping to direct them towards soccer and away from crime.  Privately, he didn’t care for the close association with Pablo, their generous sponsor.  A humble man, he preferred the purity of a sport well played, love for family (and his fiance), and the doctrines and practices of his catholic faith.  Known as the “Gentleman of the Field”, his daily life as a boy included Mass with his mother before school (until her death) and at least four pickup soccer games without tiring. When the time came to choose between school and soccer, he chose soccer, and was an easy choice for captain of the national team. He was, as far as we know, a good man, caught in a bad situation.

As the 1994 World Cup season progressed, those betting on the Colombian team were increasingly invested, and increasingly anxious.  The city itself was awash in turf wars among the drug lords and wannabes, murder and mayhem were everywhere.  At least two political figures who vocally denounced Pablo Escobar were murdered, along with many lower officials and judges.  The United States, under Reagan, was determined to stop the import of drugs to the US from Colombia, and there was an extradition agreement in place between the two countries.  Government officials were either bought or shot in attempt to reverse this agreement, under threats that became known as “silver or lead”.  The scheme was eventually successful, owing in part to a deal made with Pablo Escobar to turn himself in to authorities in exchange for reversal of the extradition treaty.

In the tug-of-war between drug kingpins Pablo Escobar and Rodrigo Martinez, the game of soccer represented the rope, giving the game the nickname ‘Narco-Soccer’.  At least one referee was paid off, and at least one more was killed for a bad call that gave the game to the opposing team.  So great was the demand for a World Cup win that the team, allegedly safe in California for the game, was alerted to death threats, and proposals to kidnap and/or rape their wives and children.  One player received the sad news that his brother had been murdered.  Their goalie had been arrested for trying to mediate between a friend and those who kidnapped his daughter.  Under this level of stress, it was impossible for the team to play in a manner befitting their skills and the plans of those gambling on a win.  They did, however, give it their best, albeit distracted, efforts.

In the first round of the semi-finals, the game against Romania was rough, with Colombia losing 3:1.  The game against the US is best labeled disastrous.  Escobar’s attempt to deflect the ball from it’s path had the painful result of sending it straight into the Colombian net.  Beyond discouraged, the team lost to the US 2:1, eliminating them from the tournament.  Ironically, Escobar’s words of encouragement were “Life doesn’t end here”.  Little did he know that when he arrived home, his life would indeed come to an end.  He was shot multiple times, allegedly as punishment for the disgraceful loss that cost some high rollers to lose their bet and the associated money.  This was the last straw for many of the team’s talented and loyal players – they retired, and Colombian soccer has never been the same since.

Roughly six months before the fateful games, in December of 1993, Pablo Escobar died in a gun battle between himself  & his bodyguard, and US trained/backed Colombian authorities, which included a mercenary group, Los Pepes.  This was the culmination of a bloody manhunt wherein more than 300 of Escobar’s family and associates were murdered in attempt to either find him or draw him out.  It has been suggested, especially in this film, that the death of drug lord Pablo Escobar removed the one element that could have prevented Andres’ murder.  The members of the Gallon Brothers’ cartel are accused of both murders, first removing the rival Escobar via Los Pepes, then getting revenge against the Escobar they held responsible for the loss of the World Cup title.

Both men were mourned greatly for their contributions to the poor people and the short-lived glory of Colombia.  Though they are not blood relatives, in a genealogical sense, these two men with the same last name were indeed related by blood, and soccer.