Gunmen shot and killed Colombian national team defender Andrés Escobar in a restaurant parking lot outside Medellín on July 2, 1994.
The 27-year-old had just returned from the World Cup in the United States, where Colombia was eliminated early.
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The tragedy occurred days after Escobar scored an own goal against the host nation on June 22.
That mistake contributed to a 2-1 defeat that dashed Colombia's tournament hopes, despite the team entering as global favorites.
Escobar had returned to his hometown despite safety warnings from team staff and his brother, Santiago Escobar.
Santiago urged him to remain in Las Vegas, where the extended family was vacationing.
Santiago Escobar recounted the devastating impact of the own goal on his brother.
Escobar had been actively targeted for a high-profile transfer to Italian club AC Milan as a successor to Franco Baresi.
“It was really hard for us as a family,” said Santiago Escobar.
“because we were there in the stadium, and it was just so painful to see Andrés on the ground like that, holding his head.”
The defender expressed deep personal devastation immediately after the match during conversations at the team hotel.
“He wanted to have a great World Cup because he was going to be Franco Baresi’s replacement at Milan,” said Santiago.
“When he scored that own goal, he said to me: ‘Never in my life had I scored an own goal and I had to go and do it in the middle of a World Cup’.
