Last Updated on September 18, 2026 by Miguel Manjate
Eduard Andrés Atuesta Velasco is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer. Born on June 18, 1997, in Vélez, Santander, Colombia, Atuesta developed through Independiente Medellín before building an international career with Los Angeles FC, Palmeiras and Orlando City.
Family has played an unusually visible role throughout Atuesta’s career. He is married to Daniela Camelo, his longtime partner, and the couple have two publicly documented children, Matías and Fátima. His parents are Marylu Velasco and Eduard Johany, while Colombian reporting describes Atuesta as their only child. His grandparents were also instrumental during his childhood, particularly his grandfather, who helped teach him football from a very young age.
Who Is Eduard Atuesta’s Wife?
Eduard Atuesta’s wife is Daniela Camelo. Their relationship goes back to at least the early stages of Atuesta’s international career, and Daniela was already accompanying him when he moved from Colombia to Los Angeles FC in 2018.
When AS USA profiled Atuesta and his family during his first season in Major League Soccer, Daniela was introduced as his girlfriend and described as one of the three people closest to him alongside his parents. She spoke about Eduard as disciplined, organized, perfectionist and strongly committed to his faith.
Daniela also explained that major decisions within the family were closely connected to their religious beliefs. Her comments came while the family was discussing Atuesta’s move from Independiente Medellín to Los Angeles, his first professional experience outside Colombia.
The relationship continued as Atuesta’s career took him from the United States to Palmeiras in Brazil. By 2022, Brazilian media were referring to Daniela as his wife, confirming that the couple had married.
Eduard Atuesta and Daniela Camelo’s Family Life
Daniela has accompanied Atuesta through some of the most important changes in his professional career. The couple experienced life in Los Angeles before moving to São Paulo after Atuesta signed for Palmeiras ahead of the 2022 season.
In an interview with ge during his first months in Brazil, Atuesta explained that his demanding training and match schedule meant he spent much of his free time at home with Daniela and their young son Matías.
The family later maintained an important connection with the United States. Their daughter Fátima was born in Miami in 2023, and Atuesta subsequently returned to MLS, first with LAFC on loan in 2024 and then permanently with Orlando City in 2025.
That American connection became particularly relevant when reports about his future emerged at the end of 2024. Brazilian coverage noted that one reason Atuesta wanted to remain in the United States was his family’s connection to the country, including the fact that Fátima had been born in Miami.
Does Eduard Atuesta Have Children?
Yes. Eduard Atuesta and Daniela Camelo have two publicly documented children: a son named Matías and a daughter named Fátima.
Matías Atuesta
Matías is Eduard Atuesta and Daniela Camelo’s eldest publicly known child. He was born in late 2021.
When Atuesta spoke to ge in March 2022, Matías was described as approximately four months old. Atuesta explained that his life away from the football field in Brazil largely revolved around spending time at home with Daniela and their baby son.
Matías was therefore still an infant when the family left the United States for Brazil following Atuesta’s transfer from LAFC to Palmeiras.
The arrival of his first child coincided with an important stage in Atuesta’s career. Shortly after becoming a father, he joined one of Brazil’s biggest clubs and began adapting to a new league, language and football culture while also adjusting to parenthood.
Fátima Atuesta
Fátima is Eduard and Daniela’s daughter. She was born in Miami, Florida, in May 2023.
Her birth came during a difficult football period for Atuesta because the midfielder was recovering from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury while contracted to Palmeiras.
The Brazilian club allowed him time away from his rehabilitation program so he could travel to the United States and accompany Daniela for their daughter’s birth.
The couple chose the name Fátima because of their devotion to Our Lady of Fátima, reflecting the Catholic faith that has been an important part of Atuesta and Daniela’s family life.
After spending time with his family in Miami, Atuesta returned to São Paulo to continue his rehabilitation with Palmeiras.
Who Are Eduard Atuesta’s Parents?
Eduard Atuesta’s parents are Marylu Velasco and Eduard Johany. They played a major role in the sacrifices required for their only son to pursue professional football.
Atuesta spent his earliest childhood in Vélez, Santander, where football was already deeply embedded in his family environment. His father played the sport, while his grandfather and an uncle helped introduce Eduard to structured training.
His parents also worked selling fast food in the main park in Vélez while Atuesta was growing up. As his football potential developed, the family made increasingly significant decisions to provide him with better opportunities.
When Eduard was around nine years old, he and his parents moved from Vélez to Bucaramanga. The move separated him from grandparents with whom he had developed an extremely close relationship, but it also gave him access to stronger football opportunities.
Eduard Atuesta’s Father: Eduard Johany
Eduard Atuesta’s father is Eduard Johany. Football was already part of his father’s life, and young Eduard grew up wearing replicas of the kits belonging to teams his father had played for.
Atuesta later explained that his own love for football came partly from watching and interacting with his father, grandfather and uncle.
His father continued to follow his career closely after Eduard became a professional. When Atuesta joined LAFC in 2018, both parents traveled to California and watched him earn his first MLS start.
During an interview at the stadium, Eduard’s father offered his own observations about the differences between Colombian football and MLS, demonstrating the close attention he continued to pay to his son’s development.
The transition to professional football required substantial sacrifice from the entire family. They had already relocated within Colombia as Eduard developed before eventually watching their only son move thousands of kilometers away to begin his international career.
Eduard Atuesta’s Mother: Marylu Velasco
Eduard Atuesta’s mother is Marylu Velasco, sometimes referred to simply as Mary in interviews conducted in the United States.
Marylu was closely involved in Atuesta’s upbringing and supported his football ambitions alongside her husband. During Eduard’s childhood in Vélez, she and his father sold food in the town while he spent significant amounts of time playing and training.
Atuesta has also spoken fondly about his mother’s cooking. After moving to the United States as a young professional, one of the things he admitted missing most about Colombia was the food his mother used to prepare for him.
Marylu traveled to Los Angeles during Eduard’s first MLS season and described seeing her son succeeding abroad as a blessing. She expressed pride not simply in his performances but in the environment he had found in the United States.
Atuesta has also credited his mother with influencing his disciplined personality, while his father and other male relatives helped develop his passion for football.
Does Eduard Atuesta Have Siblings?
No publicly documented brothers or sisters are known. In fact, an extensive AS USA profile of the Atuesta family specifically described Eduard as the only child of his parents.
This makes his relationship with his parents particularly significant. Throughout his childhood, the three formed a close family unit that relocated several times as Eduard’s football opportunities developed.
While Atuesta does not have publicly documented biological siblings, he grew up surrounded by grandparents, an uncle and other relatives who were closely involved in his childhood and his introduction to football.
Eduard Atuesta’s Grandparents
Atuesta has spoken particularly warmly about his grandparents, Isabel Sánchez and Jorge Chacón, who helped raise him during his early childhood in Vélez.
When Eduard and his parents moved to Bucaramanga when he was around nine years old, leaving his grandparents behind was one of the most difficult moments of his childhood.
Atuesta later described Isabel and Jorge as two of the people for whom he had the greatest love and affection because they helped raise him and remained supportive when his immediate family faced difficult moments.
Jorge Chacón and Eduard Atuesta’s Early Football Training
Atuesta’s grandfather Jorge Chacón was especially important in developing his technical ability.
Eduard has said that he began structured training with his grandfather and an uncle when he was around four years old. Rather than allowing him simply to kick the ball around, his grandfather emphasized repetition and technique.
Training included controlling the ball with both feet, passing against walls and learning to receive aerial balls using different parts of the foot. Only after completing these exercises would young Eduard be allowed to play freely.
Years later, Atuesta credited those demanding childhood sessions with helping create the technical foundation that became one of his greatest strengths as a professional midfielder.
Eduard Atuesta’s Childhood in Vélez
Atuesta was born in Vélez, Santander, a Colombian town where he remembers enjoying a close-knit childhood surrounded by relatives.
He played football in parks and streets, where families generally knew one another. His earliest football memories involved playing with members of his own family and receiving corrections and advice from relatives.
At the same time, Marylu and Eduard Johany worked selling fast food in the park. Football was not initially a glamorous career opportunity; it was a childhood passion pursued alongside the family’s everyday working life.
The decision to move to Bucaramanga eventually opened new possibilities. Atuesta joined Independiente Floridablanca and began competing within the Santander football structure before attracting attention from clubs farther away.
How Eduard Atuesta’s Family Helped His Football Career
The Atuesta family made several moves during Eduard’s development. First came the departure from Vélez for Bucaramanga, followed by another move when Independiente Medellín provided him with an opportunity to enter one of Colombia’s major academies.
Atuesta moved to Medellín in 2013 and continued developing until reaching the senior team. He made his professional breakthrough with Independiente Medellín before receiving the opportunity to join LAFC in 2018.
Before accepting the move to Major League Soccer, Atuesta consulted his family and representative. Family involvement in major decisions was something Daniela later emphasized when discussing their shared values.
Atuesta’s parents traveled to California soon after his arrival, experiencing firsthand the results of the sacrifices that had begun when their son was still a child in Vélez.
Eduard Atuesta’s Wife and Children During His Palmeiras Career
Atuesta joined Palmeiras permanently from LAFC ahead of the 2022 season. It represented another major move for his family, this time from the United States to Brazil.
Daniela and their infant son Matías lived with him in São Paulo as Atuesta adapted to Brazilian football.
The family experienced both successful and difficult moments during his Palmeiras period. Atuesta was part of teams that won major domestic and continental trophies, but his 2023 knee injury kept him away from football for an extended period.
During that rehabilitation, one of the biggest personal moments of his life occurred when Daniela gave birth to Fátima in Miami.
The birth provided an important positive family event during one of the most challenging periods of Atuesta’s professional career.
Eduard Atuesta’s Return to the United States
Atuesta returned to LAFC on loan in 2024 and helped the club win the U.S. Open Cup before returning briefly to Palmeiras.
His family’s strong connection with the United States made remaining in MLS attractive. Fátima had been born in Miami, and reports at the end of 2024 said the family had established significant ties to the country.
Orlando City eventually acquired Atuesta permanently from Palmeiras in February 2025.
After becoming an important part of Orlando’s midfield, Atuesta signed another contract in February 2026. The new agreement keeps him with Orlando City through the 2028-29 MLS season, with a club option for 2029-30.
The deal provides long-term stability for Atuesta, Daniela, Matías and Fátima in a country that has played a major role in both his professional and family life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eduard Atuesta’s Family
Who is Eduard Atuesta’s wife?
Eduard Atuesta’s wife is Daniela Camelo. She has been with him since at least his early years with LAFC and later moved with him to Brazil and back to the United States.
Does Eduard Atuesta have children?
Yes. Eduard Atuesta and Daniela have two publicly documented children, Matías and Fátima.
Who is Eduard Atuesta’s son?
His son is Matías, who was born in late 2021 and was approximately four months old when Atuesta discussed his family life in March 2022.
Who is Eduard Atuesta’s daughter?
His daughter is Fátima, who was born in Miami in May 2023. Eduard and Daniela chose her name because of their devotion to Our Lady of Fátima.
Who are Eduard Atuesta’s parents?
Eduard Atuesta’s parents are Marylu Velasco and Eduard Johany. They supported his football development from childhood and relocated with him as better opportunities became available.
Who is Eduard Atuesta’s mother?
His mother is Marylu Velasco. She and her husband worked selling food in Vélez during Eduard’s childhood and later supported his moves to Bucaramanga and Medellín.
Who is Eduard Atuesta’s father?
His father is Eduard Johany, who also played football and helped foster his son’s early interest in the sport.
Does Eduard Atuesta have siblings?
No. Reliable reporting has described Eduard Atuesta as the only child of his parents.
Who are Eduard Atuesta’s grandparents?
Two grandparents publicly identified in Colombian reporting are Isabel Sánchez and Jorge Chacón. They helped raise Eduard during his early childhood in Vélez.
Who taught Eduard Atuesta to play football?
Atuesta has credited his grandfather, father and uncle with developing his love of football. His grandfather Jorge was particularly influential in teaching him technical skills from around four years old.
Where is Eduard Atuesta’s family from?
Atuesta was born in Vélez, Santander, Colombia, where he spent his earliest childhood before moving with his parents to Bucaramanga.
Miguel Manjate is a football journalist and editor covering the Premier League, European competitions, and transfer news, with a strong focus on match analysis and data-driven reporting.
