Freddy Rincón: Former Colombia captain in critical condition with severe head injuries after car crash

By Amy Woodyatt and CNN Español

Updated 1255 GMT (2055 HKT) April 12, 2022

Colombia's Freddy Rincon takes the ball from Argentina's Javier Zanetti during a friendly match 13 October, 1999, at the Chateau Carrera Stadium in Cordoba, Argentina.

(CNN)Former Colombia soccer captain Freddy Rincón is in critical condition with severe head injuries after being involved in a car crash in Cali, the hospital treating him said in a statement.

The 55-year-old Rincón was admitted to hospital on Monday following a car accident in the early hours of the day, CNN en Español reported, citing local media.The accident involved a van with four occupants, including the former player, and a bus, the Undersecretary of Mobility of Cali, Edwing Candelo, told the newspaper, El País Cali.Five people were injured in the crash, added Candelo.Rincón underwent surgery which lasted nearly three hours, the Imbanaco Clinic said in a statement later Monday, adding that he has been transferred to intensive care, where he remains in critical condition.Picture of the car in which former Colombian footballer Freddy Rincon suffered an accident earlier on April 11, 2022, in Cali, Colombia. Read MoreWorld Cup gloryRincón played in threeWorld Cups — 1990, 1994 and 1998 — and scored 17 goals in 84 games for Colombia.He was born in 1966 in Buenaventura, in western Colombia, and was one of the key players of his country's golden generation in the 1990s.Notably, he scored against West Germany at the 1990 World Cup in Milan's San Siro stadium, his goal coming late in the game to secure a 1-1 draw giving Colombia a place in the round-of-16 after the country's 28-year absence from the tournament.Rincón also scored two goals in a famed 5-0 win against Argentina in Buenos