Largest signing in history, Viveros arrives to be the reference at Athletico
Even in a turbulent season, the Athletico Paranaense has not stopped investing in football. Despite playing Series B In 2025, the Hurricane went to Colombia, more precisely in the entourage of Atlético Nacional , in order to become Kevin Viveros the most expensive hiring in its history.
The vice-top scorer Libertadores tied with Estêvão and other five athletes, the Colombian club is missing in the decision against the Sao Paulo For the South American competition, he will reinforce the Paranaense team in the dispute of Serie B after the window opens on July 10. Despite the economic superiority, CAP isn't swimming easily in the second division. And it's here that Viveros arrives to contribute.
Between South America and Eastern Europe
"I'm a boy who has grown up a lot, who has learned from everything he has been through, and I'm happy to be at this such big club that is Athletico." These were the first words of Kevin Viveros in his presentation as the new player of the Furacao, last Thursday (26).
Born in Buenaventura, a small city in Colombia, Kevin took his first professional kicks in 2018, before even reaching the age of majority, wearing the jersey of America de Cali . There were 17 games in one and a half years Red Devils until they run through their country's football.
Viveros defended Atlético Cali and Itaguí Leones before moving to Venezuela in 2022. It was with the colors of Carabobo that the attacker finally stood out: with 21 goals in 34 games, the player caught the attention of Deportivo Cali, where he played on loan in a meteoric rise, and then went on to venture into European football.
But not in a big center. Kevin Viveros went to play in FK Sarajevo , as Bosnia and Herzegovina, but only played once in the old continent. Then, he was loaned out again, now to Equidad Insurance And later to Atlético Nacional, where he regained his glory days as a center forward.
It was with the 1995 Copa Libertadores champion that the Colombian forward lived his best phase. In 2024, he scored only four goals in 32 games, but the highlight came in 2025: Viveros scored ten times (with four in the Copa Libertadores, where he is the vice-top scorer) and provided three assists in 27 matches.
Nurseries at Arena da Baixada
The Train , then caught the attention of Athletico, who paid around 5 million euros and made the Colombian player the most expensive signing in the club's history, surpassing Vitor Roque , who was hired from Cruzeiro In 2022 with R$ 3 million less. The expectation is that Viveros will continue adding to the attack of the red-black team, the best in Serie B with 18 goals scored.
However, the second division has not been all roses for the club from Curitiba. Relegated in their centennial year, CPAC could be the team swimming easily in League B, but the start has been Mauricio Barbieri it was not encouraging: the coach was fired after a tough loss to Botafogo-SP In the sixth round, 4 to 1. At that point, the club was only in ninth place.
After João Correia took over temporarily (three games, one win, one draw, and one loss), Hellmann Odair was hired. He has only four games as a coach on the sidelines, with seven points accumulated in the Serie B. At the current moment, the club is in sixth place with 20 points, six points behind the leader. Goiás .
Viveros will have the compatriot Kevin Velasco as an attack companion, besides the Chilean Luciano Arriagada The text "e dos brasileiros" translates to "and of the Brazilians" in English. Luiz Fernando , Alan Kardec , Leozinho , Renan Peixoto e outros nomes. A disputa pela titularidade no comando de ataque deve ser com Alan Kardec, titular com Hellmann e vice-artilheiro na temporada, e Renan Peixoto, jogador que mais marcou pelo clube na segunda divisão.
A striker born
Kevin Viveros arrives at Athletico to be an option for Alan Kardec, who, due to physical issues, does not maintain a consistent run of games as a starter. Currently, he is being rotated with Renan Peixoto, who leads the club in goals scored in the Serie B, with five goals (Alan, in second place, has three).
The striker's instinct is the main quality of the Colombian within the four lines. Viveros is a born number 9, a player who operates inside the penalty area but isn't an immobile attacker. Strong and fast, the player knows how to use his attributes to score goals. Brazilians had a small taste of this in the matches between Atlético Nacional and <Bahia> e International In the Libertadores, when Viveros scored one and two times, respectively.
"We are talking about a 25-year-old player who is very strong, capable of wearing down defenders, besides having good speed and power. He is a player who can contribute a lot to the structure of his new team in Brazilian football," commented Colombian journalist Felipe Velásquez. Teleantioquia , in an interview with the Brazilian portal UmDois .
The fact is that Viveros has everything to surpass David Terans , with 31 goals, and become the top international goalscorer in Athletico's history. The Colombian striker just needs time.
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