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From Pablo Escobar's shadow to a beacon of compassion: Atletico Nacional's new legacy

A heart-warming response to the air tragedy involving Chapecoense has seen the 15-time Colombian champions become more than just a symbol of the 'narco-football' era

Atletico Nacional are Colombia's most successful club with 15 Primera Division titles to their name, but their illustrious history has a dark side.

In the 1980s, the Medellin giants received heavy financial investment from Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug trafficker who perpetrated heinous crimes and built one of the world's biggest criminal empires.

Escobar was a keen football fan and, despite ulterior motives, the money he poured into the club helped build a golden age in Colombian football, with America de Cali and Millonarios among the other outfits to benefit from the funds of cartel bosses in what came to be known as the 'narco-football' era.