Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
club
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
and often captains the
Colombia national team. Nicknamed "''El Tigre''" (Spanish for ''The Tiger''),
he is considered one of the greatest Colombian footballers of all time.
Falcao began his professional career in the Colombian Second Division at the age of 13 at
Lanceros Boyacá, before moving to the Argentine club
River Plate, where he played with their youth academy from 2001 until 2005 and later won the
2007–08 Clausura
The ' and ' tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is div ...
tournament. In 2009, he joined Portuguese club
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, where he won several trophies, including the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
and
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
double in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
. In August 2011, Falcao moved to Spanish club
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
for a club record €40 million. He was integral in the club's 2012
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
and
Super Cup victories.
Falcao was also prolific in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
during his time with Atlético, being the third-highest goalscorer in
2011–12 and
2012–13, both behind
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, Falcao controversially signed for newly promoted
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
side
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
in 2013 for a club record €60 million, despite interest from top European clubs. In the second half of his debut season, an
ACL injury ruled him out for six months; he went on to spend the next two seasons on loan at
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
clubs
Manchester United and
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Rejoining Monaco in the summer of 2016, he regained his best form and led them to their first
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
title in 17 years. Falcao joined Turkish club
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
in 2019, before returning to La Liga in 2021 with
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
.
Falcao made his senior debut for Colombia in 2007, and has since earned over 100 caps and scored
36 goals, making him their
all-time top scorer since breaking the previous record of 25 goals in June 2017. He represented his country at the 2011, 2015 and
2019 Copa América. Falcao missed the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
through injury, but made his World Cup debut at the
2018 tournament in Russia.
Falcao is Porto's all-time
top goalscorer in international club competitions, set the record for
most goals (17) in a European campaign in 2011, is the first player to win consecutive Europa League titles with two teams (Porto in 2011 and Atlético in 2012), and is Monaco's
highest goalscorer this century (83). He was named in the
FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2012, finished in fifth place for the
2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or
The 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the third year for FIFA's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 7 January 2013, with Lionel Messi winning a record fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or.
T ...
, and was awarded the 2012
Globe Soccer Best Footballer.
In November 2018, Falcao was honoured by the Atlético Madrid fans with a plaque outside the
Metropolitano Stadium
Metropolitano Stadium (Spanish: ''Estadio Metropolitano''), also referred to as Cívitas Metropolitano for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium in Madrid, Spain. It has been the home stadium of Atlético Madrid since the 2017–18 season. It is lo ...
.
Club career
Lanceros Boyacá
Falcao made his debut for
Lanceros Boyacá in the Colombian
Categoría Primera B
Categoría Primera B, commonly referred to as Torneo BetPlay Dimayor due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay (formerly ''Torneo Águila''), is the second-division football league in Colombia.
Format
DIMAYOR has applied a new form ...
(second tier) on 28 August 1999, playing the last 40 minutes against
Deportivo Pereira
Deportivo Pereira is a professional Colombian football team based in Pereira, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Hernán Ramírez Villegas stadium.
History Early years
While there are several ...
at the age of 13 years and 199 days, thus becoming the youngest debutant at that level of Colombian professional football.
In 2000, Lanceros' coach, Hernán Pacheco, began to consider the 14-year-old more seriously; Falcao played seven matches that year.
On 23 July, at the Estadio Olímpico del Sol in
Sogamoso
Sogamoso () is a city in the department of Boyacá of Colombia. It is the capital of the Sugamuxi Province, named after the original Sugamuxi. Sogamoso is nicknamed "City of the Sun", based on the original Muisca tradition of pilgrimage and ador ...
, he scored his first and only goal for the club, to seal a 2–0 win against
Club El Cóndor
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
that took Lanceros off the bottom of the table. In his two years with the club, he played eight matches and scored once.
River Plate
After training with
Millonarios
Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium.
Millonarios was initially created in 1937 by students f ...
, who did not take up their option to purchase the player, Falcao was sold to
River Plate of Argentina in February 2001, for a $500,000 fee.
He began his River career in the youth team, playing in the eighth division of Argentine football.
River's coach,
Leonardo Astrada, gave Falcao his professional debut in the
2005 Torneo Clausura, on 6 March 2005, in a game that finished in a 3–1 victory for his club against
Instituto de Córdoba.
Falcao became a regular in the first team during the
2005 Torneo Apertura. He scored twice in a match for the first time in Argentina, on 2 October in a game against
Independiente that finished as a 3–1 win for River. He repeated the feat twice more during the Apertura: against
Lanús
Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lan ...
, his brace contributed to a 4–1 home win, and against
San Lorenzo, River won 5–1. This brought his total for the competition to seven from as many games under the management of
Reinaldo Merlo
Reinaldo Carlos Merlo (born 20 May 1950) is an Argentine football coach and former player, who played as a midfielder.
Playing career
Known as ''Mostaza'' (mustard) because of his off-blond hair, Merlo played his entire career for Club Atléti ...
, who gave Falcao the trust he needed to establish himself in the team.
In the match against
San Lorenzo in November, Falcao injured the ligaments of his right knee and missed the remainder of the Apertura; then, during pre-season training in January 2006, he sustained more serious damage to the same knee, which required surgery and was expected to keep him out for at least six months. He returned to the field in September, soon after the start of the
2006 Torneo Apertura, in which he made 12 appearances, mainly as a
substitute; he scored just once, to seal a 2–0 win against
Rosario Central
Club Atlético Rosario Central () is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on December 24, 1889, by a group of railway workers, taking its name from the English- ...
that took River clear at the top of the table. A few days earlier, he made his debut in
CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
competition, in the last eight of the
2006 Copa Sudamericana against
Atlético Paranaense
Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...
of Brazil. He was replaced at half-time, and the match finished 2–2; this meant River were eliminated on aggregate, as they lost the home leg 1–0.
He was sent off in his only outing in the
2007 Copa Libertadores, against
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has pla ...
on 22 February 2007. Domestically, he made little impression on the
2007 Torneo Clausura. He scored in only one of the eight games he played: River's first two goals as they beat
Racing Club 4–2 away from home. Falcao scored his first professional
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
on 27 September 2007, as River made a historic comeback against
Botafogo
Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...
to win the series 4–3 after trailing 3–1 on aggregate and progress into the quarter-finals of the
2007 Copa Sudamericana. The following week, he scored his first goal in a ''
Superclásico'', the first of River's goals as they beat
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
2–0.
River Plate were reported to have rejected a $15 million offer from
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
for Falcao in early 2008, as well as bids from clubs including
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
and
Fluminense
Fluminense Football Club (), known as Fluminense, is a Brazilian sports club best known for its professional football team that competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football and the Campeonato Carioca, th ...
.
On 27 February, Falcao scored, but was red-carded, in a 2–1 win over
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
in the
2008 Copa Libertadores group stage. He was a key player as
Diego Simeone
Diego Pablo Simeone González (; ; born 28 April 1970, nicknamed El Cholo (), is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder; he has been the manager of Atlético Madrid since December 2011.
In his cl ...
led River to the
2008 Torneo Clausura championship, his first domestic title, and his performances linked him with moves to a variety of clubs, including Man United and
Arsenal.
Nevertheless, he remained with River as they suffered the worst campaign in their history, finishing bottom of the
2008 Torneo Apertura.
In 2009, River Plate had a difficult start: they were eliminated in the group stage of the
2009 Copa Libertadores and won few games at the beginning of the
2009 Torneo Clausura. Falcao retained his eye for goal and was instrumental in
Nestor Gorosito
Nestor may refer to:
* Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology
Arts and entertainment
* "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses''
* Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...
's plans, having matured as a striker over the previous two years; he finished as top scorer with 43 goals.
Porto
2009–10 season
On 15 July 2009,
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
team
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
signed Falcao on a four-year-contract worth €3.93 million for 60% of his economic rights after Porto sold striker
Lisandro López to
Olympique Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, ...
for €24 million. In the transaction, Porto also sold
Mario Bolatti for €1.5 million to a third party owner, Natland Financier B.V., in exchange for 35% of the economic rights of Falcao. A week before, Porto rivals
Benfica came very close to signing Falcao after making a €4.7 million offer, but the reluctance of the club to pay an additional €700,000 requested by Falcao for awards and delayed salaries dictated the end of negotiations, which prompted Falcao to join Porto a week later. He made his debut against
Paços de Ferreira
Paços de Ferreira () is a city in the Porto District, in the north of Portugal. The population of the city in 2011 was 7491, while its municipality had 56,340 inhabitants, in an area of 70.99 km².
Sometimes referred to as the ''Capital do ...
on the opening matchday and scored an important goal to earn the team a draw. He went on to score three goals in as many games, making him one of the few to score four goals in the first four matchdays of the
Portuguese league.
On 15 September, he made his
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
debut in a 1–0 away defeat against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Two weeks later, on 30 September, he scored his first Champions League goal, a backheel, in a 2–0 group stage win over his future club,
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
. On 12 December, Falcao scored a header to defeat rivals
Sporting CP
Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...
in a 1–0 home victory. On 10 January 2010, Falcao scored a brace, including the winning goal, in a 3-2 league victory over
Uniao de Leiria. On 2 February, Falcao scored twice in a 5–2
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 seaso ...
quarter-finals victory against rivals Sporting CP. In the same month, he scored the winning goal in a
UEFA Champions League round of 16 2–1 victory over
Arsenal, his fourth goal in the tournament, even though Porto were later eliminated from the competition. On 3 April, Falcao scored a brace against
Marítimo to lead the scoring charts with 20 goals, although he would eventually finish the season as the second-highest league scorer with 25 goals, behind only Benfica's
Óscar Cardozo
Óscar René Cardozo Marín (; born 20 May 1983) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Club Libertad and the Paraguay national team.
Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained att ...
, who had 26. Falcao later scored two more braces in away victories over
Vitoria Setubal and Leiria on 24 April and 8 May respectively. He scored in his last game of the season, the
2010 Taça de Portugal Final, where Porto won 2–1 against
Chaves. Falcao wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 34 goals in all competitions.
2010–11 season
Falcao made an impressive start to the
2010–11 season, scoring a goal in the
2010 Portuguese Super Cup 2–0 victory over Benfica. He scored his first two league goals on the second matchday of the season in a 3–0 victory against
Beira-Mar on 22 August 2010. He scored his second double for the club in a 5–1 victory over
União de Leiria
União Desportiva de Leiria, commonly known as União de Leiria (), is a Portuguese football club based in Leiria, central Portugal. Founded on 6 June 1966, it currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, holding home matches at Estádio Dr. ...
on 25 October. On 7 November, he scored twice, one of them a backheel goal, in a 5–0 victory against the defending champions Benfica.
On 2 December, Falcao scored his first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
for Porto in a 3–1 victory against
Rapid Wien
Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...
during a
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
clash, becoming the top goal scorer with seven goals. On 7 April 2011, Falcao scored another hat-trick and provided an assist in the quarter-finals of the Europa League against Russian side
Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia:
* FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club
* HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team
* Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club
* WB ...
in a 5–1 victory, bringing his goal tally in the tournament to ten.
In the second leg, he scored another goal and provided another assist in another victory with the same scoreline in a 10–3 aggregate thrashing that took Porto to the tournament's semi-final stage.
On 17 April, he scored a double against rivals Sporting CP to help defeat them 3-2. He further added to his position as top scorer in the Europa League by scoring four goals in the semi-final against
Villarreal
Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain.
The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...
two weeks later, which finished 5–1 for Porto. In the
Europa League final against domestic rivals
Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...
, Falcao scored the only goal of the game with a header after a cross from
Fredy Guarín
Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez (born 30 June 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder.
He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell ...
, giving the title to Porto. He set a new goalscoring record of 17 goals in 14 games during the
Europa League campaign, surpassing
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...
's previous record of 15 goals. In July 2011, Falcao extended his contract until 2015 with an added €45 million buy-out clause. Porto paid a commission of €6.58 million to extend the contract.
Atlético de Madrid
2011–12 season
On 18 August 2011, Atlético announced they had signed Falcao from Porto on a
€40 million transfer fee; the fee could potential rise to €50 million based on performance-based clauses, making him the most expensive player in the club's history. Atlético and the Colombian forward also agreed on a four-year-contract.
Falcao made his Atlético debut on 11 September away to
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat. A week later, on 18 September, Falcao scored his first hat trick for Atlético in a 4–0 win against
Racing Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league syste ...
. On 3 November, Falcao netted a goal in Atlético's 4–0 triumph over
Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a ...
– the goal meant that Falcao had scored 19 goals in his last 18 Europa League games.
Falcao's second hat-trick in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
came on 21 January 2012, when he led his team to a 4–0 victory against
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...
at the
Anoeta Stadium
Anoeta Stadium ( es, Estadio de Anoeta), currently known as the Reale Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain that was inaugurated in 1993.
The stadium lies at the Anoeta Sports Complex, ...
. On 16 February, in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32, Falcao scored twice and assisted a goal in an 3–1 away victory against
Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
to progress to the round of 16. In the second leg of Atlético's Round of 16 clash against Turkish club
Beşiktaş, Falcao scored one goal and provided
Eduardo Salvio's goal in a 3–0 victory, advancing 6–1 on aggregate. On 21 March, Falcao netted a second half double to propel his side to a 2–1 victory over
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
and keep Atlético in the race for European places. In both legs of the Europa League quarter-final tie versus
Hannover 96, Falcao managed to score a goal in each leg, helping Atlético seal a 4–2 aggregate victory and increasing his goal tally to eight in the competition.
Falcao played his first
Madrid Derby against
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
on 11 April 2012. He had missed the first match at the
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium ( es, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, ) is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. It is the second-larg ...
due to injury, and scored Atlético's only goal as his side fell 4–1 due to a hat trick by
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
. Four days later, he scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions against
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
in a crucial 1–0 victory for Atlético. In the first leg of the
2011–12 Europa League semi-finals against Valencia, Falcao scored a double in a 4–2 victory while making Atlético the first team to win ten consecutive matches in a single Europa League season. Falcao added to his Europa League tally in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against fellow
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
side Athletic Bilbao, netting Atlético's opening two goals in a 3–0 triumph at the
Arena Națională
Arena Națională () is a retractable roof football stadium in Bucharest, Romania. It opened in 2011 on the site of the Stadionul Național (1953), original National Stadium, which was demolished between 2007 and 2008. The stadium hosts major fo ...
in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
on 9 May 2012.
In so doing, Falcao not only became the top goal scorer in a Europa league season again, with 12 goals, but became the first player in history to win two consecutive Europa League titles with two different teams. Four days after the final, Falcao scored the only goal late into a match against
Villarreal
Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain.
The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...
to give his team a victory in the last game of the season. After his outstanding debut season with the club, his purchase was called the "best purchase of the 21st century".
2012–13 season
Falcao scored two hat-tricks at the start of the
2012–13 season; first in the league game against 2012 Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao on 27 August 2012, and the second in the 4–1 defeat of
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
during the
2012 UEFA Super Cup on 31 August 2012.
At the same time, Falcao became the first player in history to score a hat trick in a UEFA Super Cup final in its current format; the original format was two legged before turning into a single legged final format in 1998. After the match, Simeone described Falcao's performance as "indescribable". On 16 September, Falcao scored what turned out to be the decisive goal from the penalty spot in a 4–3 win over
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
, and did the same a week later in a 2–1 triumph against
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid () or Valladolid, is a professional football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish league system.
The club colo ...
, before going off at half-time in order to avoid a possible groin injury. Falcao scored a double in a 4–2 away victory over
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...
, converting a cross for the first and then a penalty, putting him to the top of the goal scoring charts in La Liga with seven goals. In October 2012, he was nominated for the
2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or
The 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the third year for FIFA's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 7 January 2013, with Lionel Messi winning a record fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or.
T ...
, and came in 5th place. He was also in the 2012 FIFPro World XI.
On 7 October, Falcao scored a header early into the game against
Málaga
Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
, and also forced Málaga defender
Weligton to score an own goal, giving Atlético the 2–1 victory in the final minute. Three weeks later, he scored once again versus Real Sociedad, this time with a rare free-kick which was a last minute winner in the 1–0 victory. That was Falcao's first professional free kick goal. In a match against
Sevilla
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...
, Falcao scored a penalty and assisted another goal in a 4–0 victory; the strike marked his 50th goal for Atlético. In the 6–0 victory against
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña (), Deportivo or simply Dépor, is a professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. They currently p ...
on 9 December, Falcao scored an astonishing five goals, becoming the first player in La Liga since
Fernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes Sánchez (; born 5 April 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently a manager.
He played for a number of clubs during his career, including Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool and Valenci ...
in 2002 to net five goals in a match.
Falcao missed the first La Liga match of 2013 due to muscle fatigue, but returned in the second match against
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...
on 13 January, where he scored a penalty in a 2-0 victory. In the first leg of the
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footbal ...
quarter-finals against Betis, Falcao scored a header in a 2–0 victory on 18 January. He suffered an muscle injury in a match on 20 January, causing him to miss 3 games, including the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter final against Betis and the first leg of the semi finals against Sevilla. Falcao returned for the second leg to score against Sevilla in a 2–2 draw, helping Atlético advance to the finals with a 4–3 aggregate scoreline. Falcao scored a double against
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
in a comfortable 5–0 victory on 14 April. The second goal marked Falcao's 200th career goal (counting both club and nation). A week later, Falcao scored the only goal in a 0–1 away victory against Sevilla at the
Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium
The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium ( es, Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán; ) is a football stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Sevilla Fútbol Club, and is named after the club's former president, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (1 ...
.
In the Madrid Derby the following week, Falcao scored Atlético's only goal once more, albeit in a 1–2 home loss. That goal was Falcao's 50th league goal with the club in just 64 appearances. On 8 May, Falcao scored the last goal for Atlético in a 3–1 away victory over
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues ...
. The win assured Atlético Madrid would appear in the
next season's Champions League for the first time in four years. He scored his last league goal that season in a 1–2 loss against Barcelona four days later. Falcao ended the season with 28 league goals, putting him third in the top scorers chart, only behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In the
2013 Copa del Rey Final, Atlético were trailing 1–0 when Falcao delivered a timely assist to
Diego Costa
Diego da Silva Costa (, ; born 7 October 1988), commonly known as Diego Costa, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Spain national team.
Costa began his football care ...
to tie the game. They went on to win 2–1 and defeat their arch-rivals Real Madrid for the first time in 14 years. This was Falcao's first and only domestic cup title with Atlético.
Monaco
In May 2013, Atlético Madrid general manager Miguel Ángel Gil Marín announced that the club would not stand in the way if Falcao decided to leave, and that he and the club would support him in his decision. Despite being linked with various clubs such as Atlético Madrid's city rivals Real Madrid and English side Chelsea, he eventually signed for newly promoted
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
side
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
on 31 May 2013. Falcao subsequently signed a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee,
believed to be around €60 million, with his net annual salary at Monaco being reported to be around €14 million.
Despite the Colombian showing optimism about his Monaco future, Falcao gave an emotional farewell to Atlético during a press interview, expressing his enjoyment with the club and considering it to be "the best time of his career". Falcao went on to say that part of his reason for choosing Monaco was to follow the footsteps of his idol,
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...
. Monaco sporting director
Vadim Vasilyev said that the club hoped to build a team around Falcao and provide a direct challenge in Ligue 1 to Qatari backed PSG. The Colombian forward added that he wanted to bring Monaco "to the top of European Football."
Falcao's move to Monaco was a generally considered a surprise as he was widely regarded as the best and most sought after striker in the world.
According to ''
Sportskeeda
Sportskeeda is an Indian sports and esports news website, founded in 2009. It is operated by Absolute Sports Private Limited and owned by Indian video game company Nazara Technologies. The website has news, features, commentary and videos on spo ...
'', a major factor in Falcao's move to Monaco was his third-party ownership: in 2009, when wanting to move out of South America from River Plate to Porto, Falcao became a property of a group named Doyen Sports, which from that moment onwards owned a 55% stake in him. Doyen Sports wanted him to become more profitable, though eventually had invested too much in Falcao. Subsequently, Doyen Sports desperately wanted to cash Falcao out for a profit and Monaco were the only club who could manage the funds for Falcao's transfer.
2013–14 season
Falcao made his Ligue 1 debut in the first match against
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
on 10 August, where he managed to score in the 88th minute, sealing a 2–0 victory. Eight days later, he scored the opening goal, a penalty, in a 4–1 victory against
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. In a match against
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
on 1 September, Falcao scored the equalizer in a 2–1 victory. In a match against
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
, Falcao scored an early penalty kick, which proved to be the winner in a 1–0 victory. Falcao managed to equalize with a diving header in a tough away match against French champions
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
; the game would end 1–1 and keep Monaco on top of the league table. Days later, Falcao scored a double against
Bastia
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
in a 3–0 victory. This also brought his goal tally to seven, making him top scorer in
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
.
Falcao ended his four-game goal drought for Monaco in a 2–1 win over
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, scoring with an impressive chip. On 27 November, it was reported that Falcao failed to fully recover from a thigh injury prior to his last match for the club, and he was forced to miss the next four league matches. Falcao made his return after being brought on within the second half against
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
, where he missed a penalty kick as Monaco lost 2–1.
Falcao was reportedly heavily linked with Chelsea during the winter transfer window, with Chelsea even agreeing to an "£80 million deal" with Monaco, but Vasilvey denied these rumours and said Falcao "wasn't going anywhere" and is "very happy at the club."
Falcao started 2014 by making his
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
debut in a match against
Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived ...
, where he both assisted and scored a goal in a 3–2 victory. Falcao's second goal of the month came in the Coupe de France once more, where he scored a goal before being substituted due to an injury sustained in the first half of a 0–3 victory against
Monts d'Or Azergues Foot
Grand Ouest Association Lyonnaise Football Club (''short'': GOAL FC, or Goal FC) is a French association football club founded in 2000. It took its current name in 2020 when Monts d'Or Azergues Foot merged with smaller amateur clubs ''Tassin FC'', ...
.
On 23 January, the club confirmed on its website that Falcao had suffered a severe
ACL injury in his left knee that would require 6 months to recover, and would also miss the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, while effectively ending his 2013–14 season entirely.
Falcao went on to say that he and his doctors were confident in a speedy recovery.
Falcao also went on to say that he wanted to play in the match himself, and that Monaco head coach
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri Grande Ufficiale OMRI (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian football manager and former player. He will be the new head coach of club Cagliari from 1 January 2023.
Ranieri began his managerial career in the lower leagues in ...
did not force him to.
2014–15 season
Falcao's full recovery was confirmed in mid-July, where he would play regularly in pre-season matches for Monaco after six months sidelined. He returned on the field at the
Emirates Cup
The Emirates Cup is a pre-season association football invitational competition hosted by English club Arsenal at their home ground, Emirates Stadium, in Highbury, London. The two-day competition was inaugurated in 2007 and is named after Arsena ...
coming on as a substitute for
Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer. A striker, he captained the Bulgaria national team from 2006 to 2010, and is the country's all-ti ...
in the 72nd minute as Monaco drew 2–2 against Spanish side Valencia. The next day, he played the first hour of the match against
Arsenal and scored the only goal of the game in the 36th minute.
On 10 August, in his first competitive match since his injury, Falcao came on for
Lucas Ocampos
Lucas Ariel Ocampos (; born 11 July 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for La Liga club Sevilla and the Argentina national team.
Ocampos began his senior career in Argentina with River Plate before joining ...
after 59 minutes and scored a penalty, though Monaco lost 2–1 at home to Lorient. Two weeks later, he started away to
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
and scored the only goal of the game, heading in
Layvin Kurzawa
Layvin Marc Kurzawa (born 4 September 1992) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Fulham, on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
Kurzawa began his career at Monaco in 2010, and played 96 ...
's cross before half-time for the club's first points of the season. Amidst rumours of a transfer, Falcao was not included in Monaco's next match against
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
, and watched from the stands next to club owner Vadim Vasilyev. Falcao's father later said that Falcao left Monaco because they changed the "original plan" and decided to sell all the players they had bought, mostly referring to the departure of James Rodriguez to Real Madrid.
Loan to Manchester United
On 1 September 2014,
Manchester United agreed to sign Falcao on a season-long loan for £6 million subject to a medical examination with an option to sign permanently for £43.5 million (€55 million) at season's end.
The deal saw him earn £265,000 per week at the club.
Manchester City had previously opted out of signing him due to squad size, and he had also been linked to
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
,
Arsenal, and Real Madrid.
United confirmed the transfer in the early hours of 2 September. Despite joining temporarily under a loan contract, Falcao said he would fight to stay at United for many years and become a legend at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo praised Falcao and United for the transfer, calling him a "top, quality, very good player", saying that United did "very well" and that he was a "fantastic buy."
Falcao made his debut at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
on 14 September, playing the final 23 minutes of a 4–0 win over
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
in place of
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
, as United won for the first time in the season. His debut was marked by rapturous applause from the club's supporters as they continuously chanted his name both while he was warming up and on the pitch. On 5 October, he scored his first goal for United, the winner in a 2–1 home victory against
Everton. On 8 December, Falcao was left on the bench over 19-year-old
James Wilson James Wilson may refer to:
Politicians and government officials
Canada
*James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada
* James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...
against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, and Van Gaal later said that Falcao "was only fit enough to play 20 minutes." On 20 December, Falcao made his return for the first time in the starting line-up to score a goal in the second half in a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa. Six days later, he provided an assist for
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while ...
against
Newcastle United, and United went on to win the match 3–1. On New Year's Day 2015, Falcao equalised against
Stoke City in a 1–1 away draw.
After being left out of the squad against Southampton on 11 January in favor of 19-year-old James Wilson again, Van Gaal said he did not regret making that decision, and furthermore, his future at United was put under doubt when his agent,
Jorge Mendes
Jorge Paulo Agostinho Mendes (born 7 January 1966) is a Portuguese football agent. He is registered with the Portuguese Football Federation and heads the GestiFute company, founded in 1996. Mendes is among the most influential football agents i ...
, stated a few days later that his client "may not be at Old Trafford at the start of next season". After failing to offer any shots, either on or off target, and only having 26 touches against
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Preston North End on 17 February,
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown (; born 24 July 1966) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1984 to 2005, notably in the Premier League for Arsenal, where he made over 400 appearances for the club a ...
, a
BBC commentator, described his performance as "another night of nothing from Falcao" and questioned if he was "fit enough". On 10 March, a day after being an unused substitute as United were knocked out of the FA Cup at home by
Arsenal, Falcao played for their under-21 team in a 1–1 draw with
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
, being substituted after 72 minutes. The demotion was publicly criticised by former footballers
Dietmar Hamann
Dietmar Johann Wolfgang "Didi" Hamann (; born 27 August 1973) is a German professional football coach, former player and media personality.
Throughout his career, he has played for Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester City ...
and
Willem van Hanegem
Willem "Wim" van Hanegem (; born 20 February 1944) is a Dutch former football player and coach who played as a midfielder. In a playing career spanning over 20 years, he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as well as a European Cu ...
, whom had described the decision Van Gaal made to be "disrespectful and disgraceful", despite Van Gaal saying that he didn't "intend to humiliate" Falcao.
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...
also criticised Van Gaal for his treatment of Falcao, saying, "he was closer to the devil than anything." At season's end, he was adjudged by many to be among the worst signings of the season. On 24 May 2015, United announced their decision to not exercise their buy option on Falcao, ending a spell at the club in which he scored 4 goals in 29 appearances.
Loan to Chelsea
On 3 July 2015, Chelsea signed Falcao on a season-long loan deal worth £4 million with the option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season for a fee of £38 million (€50 million), and with a salary of £170,000 a week. The move briefly reunited him with his Colombia teammate
Juan Cuadrado
Juan Guillermo Cuadrado Bello (born 26 May 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the Colombia national team. He is known for his direct style of play, including his pace (both on and off the ball) as wel ...
and former Atlético Madrid teammates
Diego Costa
Diego da Silva Costa (, ; born 7 October 1988), commonly known as Diego Costa, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Spain national team.
Costa began his football care ...
and
Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois (born 11 May 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Belgium national team. He is considered one of the best goalkeepers in world football.
Courto ...
. Midfielder
Mario Pašalić
Mario Pašalić (; born 9 February 1995) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for side Atalanta and the Croatia national team.
He began his career at Hajduk Split before moving to Chelsea for a reported £3 mi ...
went to Monaco on loan in exchange for Falcao joining Chelsea.
Falcao made his debut on 2 August in the
2015 FA Community Shield at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, replacing
Loïc Rémy
Loïc Alex Teliére Hubert Rémy (born 2 January 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Brest.
Rémy began his career playing for a local youth club in his home city of Lyon, before joining the bigge ...
at half time as Chelsea lost 1–0 to
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Arsenal. His league debut came six days later in a 2–2 home draw with
Swansea City, playing the final six minutes in place of
Willian. On 29 August, again as a replacement for Willian, Falcao scored his first and only Chelsea goal, equalising in an eventual 1–2 home defeat to
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
. On 3 November, Falcao picked up a muscular injury in training, and was ruled out for a "few weeks". On 30 December, he reinjured his thigh, and new manager
Guus Hiddink said he "might be fit again within 10 days, although not to play." However, on 15 January 2016, Hiddink confirmed that Falcao's latest injury setback was "very serious". He was dropped from the team's Champions League squad the following month, in favour of new addition
Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (; born 2 September 1989), commonly known as Alexandre Pato () or just Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Pato began his career as a youth player for Internacional in 2000, maki ...
.
2016–17 season
Upon Falcao's return to Monaco in July 2016, he was made team captain by coach
Leonardo Jardim
José Leonardo Nunes Alves Sousa Jardim (; born 1 August 1974) is a Portuguese football manager, currently in charge of Emirati club Shabab Al Ahli.
He started working at the professional level at the age of 35, initially with Camacha and Cha ...
. On 27 July, Falcao scored for Monaco in his first appearance for the club in two seasons; a
Champions League qualifier against
Fenerbahçe. On 17 September, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal of the season in a 3–0 win over
Stade Rennais
Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pl ...
at the
Stade Louis II
The Stade Louis II () is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco. It serves primarily as a venue for football, being the home of AS Monaco and the Monaco national football team. The stadium is most notable for its distinctive n ...
. On 5 November, he scored twice in the first half as Monaco defeated
Nancy 6–0 in a league match, following his two first-half goals against
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...
in a
Champions League group stage match three days earlier.
On 3 December, he scored two goals against Bastia in a 5–0 win. A week later, on 10 December, Falcao scored his first Ligue 1 hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Bordeaux which boosted his
2016–17 season tally to 14 goals in 15 competitive games, and 10 goals in Ligue 1 with just 579 minutes of Ligue 1 playing time, meaning that Falcao scored an average of one Ligue 1 goal in every 58 minutes of Ligue 1 playing time.
On 4 February 2017, Falcao scored a brace in a 3–0 victory over Nice. A week later, he scored another brace, this time in a 5–0 victory over Metz. On 21 February, Falcao scored two goals; the first with a diving header from
Fabinho Fabinho is a Portuguese given name, a diminutive form of the Portuguese name "little Fábio". Portuguese also has an augmentative form of the name, Fabão, "big Fábio".
Brazilian football
* Fabinho Santos (born 1973), born ''Fábio José dos San ...
's cross from the right and the second with a chip over
Willy Caballero
Wilfredo Daniel Caballero Lazcano (born 28 September 1981) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Southampton.
He spent most of his career in Spain, representing Elche and Málaga and competing in La Liga ...
, but missed a penalty in a 5–3 away loss to Manchester City in the Champions League
round of 16 first leg match. Despite him missing out at the second leg at home due to injury, Monaco eventually won the match 3–1 (6–6 on aggregate) and qualified to the quarter-finals on away goals rule. On 19 April, he scored Monaco's second in their 3–1 victory over
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
to put the team into the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since
2004. Falcao scored a brace on the final league matchday in a 4–0 victory against Lille on 14 May. Falcao ended the season claiming the Ligue 1 title and as the club's top scorer with 30 goals in 43 appearances. On 1 June, Falcao extended his contract a further three years, keeping him at the club until 2020.
2017–18 season
Falcao started off the season with a goal in Monaco's first league match, Monaco's second in a 3–2 win at home to
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. Two weeks later, he scored the first hat-trick of the Ligue 1 season in a 4-1 win against
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
. He then scored the only goal against Metz, and a week later scored a double – including a penalty – against Marseille, raising his tally to seven goals in four matches. Falcao's form led him to being nominated for
2017 Ballon d'Or. After losing a match 4-0 at the hands of OGC Nice, Falcao responded with two more braces against Strasbourg and Lille respectively. Upon scoring for Monaco against former club
FC Porto
Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...
in a Champions League game in December 2017, Falcao
refused to celebrate out of respect to his former club. He was applauded by Porto fans for the gesture. Five days later, he opened his mark in the
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in France, French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was est ...
match vs Caen, which ended in a 2-0 win. On 31 January 2018, he scored a double against Montpellier at the Stade Louis II to help send Monaco to
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, where Monaco eventually lost 3-0 to PSG. Falcao finished the season as top scorer with 18 league goals in 26 matches.
2018–19 season
Falcao began the season on a high note during Monaco's first match of the season, assisting Monaco's second and scoring their third in a 3–1 away victory against
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
. He scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 victory against Caen on 24 November 2018, a free-kick which ended Monaco's winless streak of 13 games. Four days later, Falcao played against his former club Atletico Madrid for the first time since his departure in 2013 as part of a
Champions League group stage match. Monaco eventually lost 2–0, and Falcao missed a penalty. On 4 December 2018, Falcao scored two penalties in an 0–2 away win against
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
. On 22 January 2019, Falcao opened his tally in the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
, scoring in a 1–3 loss to Metz. Despite Falcao's goal, Monaco were eliminated from the competition. Although he finished as Monaco's top scorer with 16 goals across all competitions, this was certainly a season to forget for the club, as they barely avoided relegation and finished in 17th place.
Galatasaray
2019–20 season
On 2 September 2019, Falcao joined
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
club
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
on a free transfer, as his contract with Monaco had expired, with a three-year contract and a salary of €5 million per year. He was welcomed by over 25,000 fans on the previous day at the
Istanbul Atatürk Airport
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
. He scored a goal on his debut in a 1–0 home win against
Kasimpasa on 13 September. In a
Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
match against
Tuzlaspor
Tuzlaspor is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Tuzla, Istanbul. They play in the TFF First League. The club plays in white and blue kits, and have done so since their formation in 1954.
League participations
...
on 17 December, he scored a goal to help his team make it to the next round and overturn a 0–2 first leg loss. On 28 December, he scored his first brace with the club in a 5–0 win over
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and ...
at home. On 1 March 2020, he scored his first brace of the year against
Gençlerbirliği in a 3–0 win at the
Türk Telekom Stadium
Nef Stadium (officially known as the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi – Nef Stadyumu) is a football stadium serving as the home ground of the Süper Lig club Galatasaray It is located in the Seyrantepe quarter of the Sarıyer district, on the Europ ...
.
Falcao played 22 matches, scored 11 goals, and got one assist in all competitions during the season.
2020–21 season
Falcao began the season by scoring twice and assisting in his club's league debut victory against
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approxi ...
on 12 September 2020. On 11 April 2021, Falcao collided with
Kerem Aktürkoğlu head-on during a training session and was taken to the hospital. He was diagnosed with a facial bone fracture and had surgery. After 2 weeks, he started training with a mask.
He finished the season with 17 games, 9 goals and 2 assists. Falcao missed 24 games during the season due to injuries.
2021–22 season
In an official statement made by Galatasaray on 1 September 2021, Falcao and the club mutually agreed to terminate the player's contract.
The Colombian striker's time at Galatasaray was plagued with injuries. He missed 49 matches during his time at the Turkish club, (24 in 2019–20, 25 in 2020–21), and played 43 out of 92 possible games.
Rayo Vallecano
On 4 September 2021, Falcao signed for
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
club
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
. He was presented at the Estadio de Vallecas on 16 September 2021 before 2,000 fans.
Falcao chose to the jersey number 3, an unfamiliar number mostly worn by defenders and is not traditionally associated with attacking players.
His decision to don that jersey was to honour his late father
Radamel García, who played as a defender and mostly played with that jersey number. The number 3 jersey was being worn by
Fran García at Rayo Vallecano before his arrival, however García agreed and switched to the number 33 to make that available for him.
He made his debut with Rayo in a home fixture versus
Getafe CF on 18 September 2021, scoring one goal in a 3–0 win. Falcao scored the only goal in a famous league win over
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
on 27 October. The result led to the sacking of Barcelona manager
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was cap ...
.
International career
Youth level and early international career
Falcao participated with the
Colombia national under-17 team at the
2001 South American U-17 Championship, where he played four matches and scored one goal against
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. He was also called up to the U-17 team for the
2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship, but sustained an injury before the tournament and had to drop out.
Falcao's first call-up to the
under-20 team was for the friendly tournament,
Copa Simón Bolívar, in 2003. He played in the 2004
Toulon Tournament
The Toulon Tournament (officially the Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello) is a football (training match) tournament, which traditionally features invited national teams composed of youth players from U-17 to U-23 level. ...
, scoring his only goal at the tournament against
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. In the
2005 South American U-20 Championship
The 2005 South American Youth Championship (Sudamericana sub-20) was a football competition contested by all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in Colombia between 13 January and 6 February 2005, it was the 22n ...
, where he was champion with his team, he played five matches and scored once, on 23 January in the 1–1 draw against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. In the
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, Falcao played three matches and scored twice, against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
.
On 7 February 2007, Falcao made his senior team debut against Uruguay, and scored his first goal on 3 June against
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
in the
Kirin Cup
The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which nationa ...
. Falcao played his first competitive match on 13 October against
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The match finished in a 0–0 draw.
Falcao wasn't able to participate in the
2010 World Cup qualification
Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oce ...
matches against Chile, Paraguay and Brazil due to an injury he suffered with River Plate. He returned to action and scored the only goal of the game in a friendly against
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
on 19 November 2008. On 10 June 2009, he scored the only goal of the
2010 World Cup qualifying match to give Colombia the victory against Peru at
Estadio Atanasio Girardot
Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex (officially ''Unidad Deportiva Atanasio Girardot'') is a sports complex located in Medellín, Colombia. The complex includes Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín Sports Coliseum, Luis Alberto Villegas Stadium, an ...
. In total, Falcao played 10 games and scored once during the qualifying campaign.
2011–2013: First Copa América and World Cup qualification
After missing the
2007 edition due to injuries, Falcao's first major international tournament was the
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...
in Argentina. After failing to score against
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and
the hosts, he netted both goals in a 2–0 win against
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, the second a penalty, leading Colombia to top their group. In the quarter-finals, Falcao missed a penalty kick against
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, which would have won the game had it gone in, and the opponents were able to score two goals in extra time to eliminate his team.
Falcao's first match in the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers started off with a goal against
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
in the last minute of added time, giving Colombia the win on 11 October 2011 at the
Estadio Hernando Siles
Estadio Hernando Siles is a multi-purpose stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest stadium, with a capacity of 41,143 seats. It is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President of Bolivia (1926–1930).
The stadium is locat ...
. Under new management of the national team led by Argentine
José Pékerman
José Néstor Pékerman Krimen (; born 3 September 1949) is an Argentine professional football coach and current manager of the Venezuela national team. As a youth level coach for Argentina, he won the FIFA World Youth Championship three times, ...
, Falcao scored a goal against
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in a friendly that ended 2–0. On 7 September 2012, Falcao scored a header in the second minute to help Colombia win 4–0 against
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. In the same match, he assisted
Juan Camilo Zúñiga
Juan Camilo Zúñiga Mosquera (; born 14 December 1985) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a wing-back.
Zúñiga has previously played for Italian clubs Siena and Napoli, having won two Coppa Italia titles with the la ...
, for Colombia's fourth goal in the final minutes of stoppage time. Falcao scored again days later and assisted
Teófilo Gutiérrez
Teófilo Antonio Gutiérrez Roncancio (; born 17 May 1985), commonly known as Teo, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Categoría Primera A club Deportivo Cali and the Colombia national team.
Early life
Guti ...
against
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
to help give Colombia a 3–1 away win after having trailed 0–1 in
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
. This result put ''Los Cafeteros'' second in the table, one point behind
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. On 12 October 2012, Falcao scored both goals in a 2–0 victory over
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
In Falcao's first game of 2013, he scored the fourth goal during a 5–0 qualifier victory against
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
in March. Falcao scored a penalty against Peru in the 13th minute where Colombia won 2–0. On 11 October 2013, in the penultimate World Cup qualifying match against
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, Falcao scored two
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
to tie 3–3 after trailing 3–0. This result ensured Colombia qualified for the World Cup for the first time since
1998. Falcao ended the
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as Colombia's
top scorer, with nine goals in thirteen appearances.
2014–2017: ACL injury, World Cup absence, and all-time top goalscorer
On 23 January 2014, due to a severe ACL injury, it was announced that Falcao would likely miss the World Cup. However, Falcao expressed his optimism, believing that it was possible to make a speedy recovery.
Falcao received tremendous support worldwide on social media for a speedy recovery; a social media movement entitled 'Fuerza Tigre' (meaning 'stay strong Tiger' in Spanish) rapidly grew popularity. Among those who wished him a quick recovery was
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...
, professional basketball player in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
.
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...
, former president of Colombia, visited Falcao in the hospital he was staying at in Porto.
On 5 February, Falcao was included in José Pékerman's initial 30-man squad for the World Cup. In mid-May, Falcao's father, Radamel García, told
RCN Radio that Falcao was "60 percent fit, but not fully match-fit." In March, his surgeon said there was "no reason why Falcao couldn't play at the World Cup." On 25 May, Falcao arrived in Argentina to train with the rest of the squad. However, he eventually made the decision not to join the squad as he did not feel right taking up a position if not at full health, and was left out of the final 23-man-squad on 2 June.
Falcao would score his first international goal in 11 months against
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
on 10 October 2014, after starting for the first time since his ACL injury. It was his first ever headed goal for his country while influencing the other two goals in a 3–0 victory. His last goal before the injury was in a 2–0 friendly victory against Belgium in November 2013. In a friendly against
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
on 26 March 2015, Falcao assisted one goal and scored a double in a 6–0 win. Four days later, he scored his 24th goal for the country and put himself one goal shy of equalling
Arnoldo Iguarán
Arnoldo Alberto Iguarán Zúñiga (born 18 January 1957), also known as ''El Guajiro'', is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He earned 68 caps for the Colombia national team between 1979 and 1993, playing at ...
's record with a penalty in a 3–1 win over
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
.
On 6 June, he tied the record as Colombia's all-time top scorer by scoring his 25th goal in a 1–0 friendly victory against
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
ahead of the
2015 Copa América. He captained the team at the tournament, despite having a shoddy season, but failed to score and grab any assists in three group matches. He didn't start the
quarter-final
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on 26 June, and came on as a substitute for
Jackson Martínez
Jackson Arley Martínez Valencia (; born 3 October 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He started his career with Independiente Medellin in 2004 and becoming the league's top scorer in 2009, before be ...
in the 74th minute; Colombia ended up losing 5–4 on penalties.
On 4 November 2016, Falcao was recalled to the Colombia squad for the first time in 388 days for Colombia's next two
2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Chile on 10 November and Argentina on 15 November. He had last played for Colombia on 13 October 2015, in a 3–0 loss to Uruguay in a
2018 World Cup qualifying match in
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, and had not been selected in Colombia's squad for the
Copa América Centenario
The Copa América Centenario ( pt, Copa América Centenário, french: Coupe Amerique Centennaire, en, Centennial Cup America; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the ...
.
On 7 June 2017, Falcao became the Colombian national team's all-time top-goalscorer, scoring his 26th goal in a 2–2 draw with
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. He went on to score twice in the team's four remaining World Cup qualifying matches, as Colombia confirmed their qualification for the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
on 10 October 2017. The last qualifying match against
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
ended up in a 1–1 draw, a result that sent Colombia through automatically and Peru into a play-off with
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
at Chile's expense as they lost to Brazil. Footage emerged of Falcao talking to the Peruvian players in what was suggested could be an alleged "pact" to see both teams through. Peruvian midfielder
Renato Tapia
Renato Fabrizio Tapia Cortijo (born 28 July 1995) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Celta Vigo and the Peru national team as a defensive midfielder.
Club career Youth career
Born in Lima, Peru, Tapia started hi ...
admitted to the speculation by saying that the Colombians approached them about the draw as they knew the results of the other games. Falcao admitted to knowing what was happening in the other games, but denied making any arrangement.
2018–present: First World Cup, 2019 Copa América
Having missed the previous World Cup due to injury, Falcao made his World Cup debut against
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
on 19 June, in Colombia's first group game of the 2018 World Cup, with Colombia losing 1–2. On 24 June, Falcao scored his first World Cup goal in Colombia's 3–0 win over
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
After his goal, Falcao left the field to a standing ovation, and Colombia's manager,
José Pékerman
José Néstor Pékerman Krimen (; born 3 September 1949) is an Argentine professional football coach and current manager of the Venezuela national team. As a youth level coach for Argentina, he won the FIFA World Youth Championship three times, ...
, stated after the game: "I think (Falcao's goal) is one of the greatest joys that we received tonight. He is a symbol of the national team, a symbol of Colombian football."
Following a 1–1 draw with England in the
round of 16
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
, although Falcao converted his penalty in the shoot-out, Colombia lost 4–3.
On 30 May 2019, Falcao was included in the 23-man final Colombia squad for the
2019 Copa América. He had a poor tournament overall, with no goals or assists to his name, and didn't play the full 90 minutes in any of his matches. Colombia eventually lost 5–4 on penalties to Chile in the
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
.
On 24 September 2022, he played his 100th match with Colombia in a friendly match against
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
.
Style of play
Falcao has been described as a "natural goal scorer" and a striker with the "ability to bag a goal from nothing".
He can hold up the ball well due to his high strength and is able to play off the shoulder of the last defender.
Described as a "poacher", Falcao is frequently labeled as a "pure striker", often playing as a traditional "
number 9" and capitalizing on less amount of chances than the typical goal scorer.
His powerful and accurate shots are highly noticeable throughout his games regardless of distance and/or positions, and he is also known to have a tendency to take
curved
In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight.
Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that a ...
and
chip Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...
shots. Falcao is well known for having a strong weak foot (left) that is on equals with his right foot (preference), allowing him to be flexible with goal scoring.
Falcao controls a well-balanced pace, helping him keep his stamina in check and allowing him to often outrun other players in the most critical 50/50 moments.
While Falcao is only of average height (1.77 m), his heading and jumping technique has given him an edge in aerial battles for balls.
Falcao has also been praised for his
free-kick ability, which is rarely seen from a striker.
He is often regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation
and as one of the greatest Colombian footballers of all time. In his prime before his ACL injury, he was widely considered one of the best strikers in the world. Some media outlets regarded him as the best.
Falcao's talents have been recognized by many footballers and managers. Former Atletico Madrid president
Enrique Cerezo
Enrique Cerezo Torres (born 27 February 1948), is a Spanish film producer and the current president of Atlético Madrid, a position he has held since 2002.
Cinematographic career
Cerezo began in cinema in 1967 as a camera assistant in the movie ...
thought Falcao was the "best striker in the world" and that he "wouldn't swap him for Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi."
Former Barcelona and current Manchester City manager
Pep Guardiola described him as "sensational" and as one of the most talented in the world. Before Falcao's ACL injury,
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional football manager and player.
As a player, Capello represented SPAL 1907, Roma, Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which ...
considered him to be on the same level as
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
and
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
.
Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Qatari club Al-Duhail.
A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. At in ...
said Falcao was the best of "human players", also mentioning that Ronaldo and Messi are "on another level."
Former Atlético Madrid teammate
Gabi said in 2012 that he thought Falcao was the best at heading the ball and finishing in the world.
Lionel Messi spoke highly on him: he said, "Falcao is a great player: his quality on the ball and the way he shoots are really impressive."
Outside football
Personal life
Falcao is a second generation footballer; his father,
Radamel García, played professionally as a defender in Colombia and Venezuela, and moved to the latter country with the family when Falcao was five. García died on 3 January 2019, aged 61, due to
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
while playing tennis. In 2021, when Falcao joined
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...
he chose the jersey number 3, same jersey number his father played with, to honour him.
When Falcao was in Venezuela, he played
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, the country's most popular sport. However, when the family returned to Colombia in 1995, Falcao turned his attention back to football. Falcao also has two younger sisters.
His name derives from the 1980s
Brazil national team,
Internacional
Sport Club Internacional (), commonly known as Internacional or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Série A, the first division of the Brazilian league, as well as in Campeonat ...
and
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
legend
Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão, or simply Falcão (; born 16 October 1953), is a Brazilian former footballer and football manager. He is the current sporting coordinator of Santos.
Falcão is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional ...
, as a tribute from his father, Radamel García. Despite being named Radamel, he prefers to use his middle name in interviews. His nickname, "''El Tigre''" (Spanish for "The Tiger"), was given by
Gonzalo Ludueña, his then-teammate at River Plate. Falcao scored two goals in a match versus
Huracán, and the man of the match trophy he later won had a tiger on it, so Ludueña began to call him "El Tigre". Falcao has been married to Argentine singer and model Lorelei Tarón since December 2007;
they met in a church while Falcao was playing for River at age 18. In early 2013, it was revealed that Falcao was expecting his first child with her. Dominique García Tarón was born on 13 August 2013, at the
Princess Grace Hospital in
La Colle,
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. His second daughter, Desirée García Tarón, was born in February 2015. His third daughter, Annette García Tarón, was born in August 2017. In December 2018, Falcao remarried his wife. In March 2020, both Falcao and Lorelei revealed that they were expecting their fourth child on social media. Their first son and fourth child, Jedediah García Tarón, was born in September 2020. Due to his wife's
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
ancestry, his children also hold
Polish passport
A Polish passport ( pl, paszport) is an international travel document issued to nationals of Poland, and may also serve as proof of Polish citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Polish ci ...
s, thanks to Monaco teammate
Kamil Glik
Kamil Jacek Glik (Polish pronunciation: ; born 3 February 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie B club Benevento and the Poland national team.
The previous clubs Glik played for include Piast Gliwice fro ...
, who helped with the process. Falcao is a devout
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
,
and Gonzalo Ludueña said about his faith that, "We hid from Falcao because he would look for us in every room to take us to church on Sunday, our free day."
He is partially of English descent; George King, one of his great-grandfathers, emigrated from
Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
in 1932 with his wife to work as an accountant for the
United Fruit Company
The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
in Colombia and start a new life. His wife later died in childbirth, so he married a Colombian woman and had five children, including Falcao's grandmother, Denis. King was later murdered in 1960. Owing to this ancestry, Falcao's father attempted to make it easier for his son to play in Europe by obtaining a
British passport for him, but this was rejected.
His uncle was the
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
and film actor
Herbert King, who died in August 2018.
During Falcao's first few years with River Plate, he briefly studied
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
at
University of Palermo
The University of Palermo ( it, Università degli Studi di Palermo) is a university located in Palermo, Italy, and founded in 1806. It is organized in 12 Faculties.
History
The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806, although its ...
.
Legal issues
In mid-2017, Falcao was investigated for allegations of
tax evasion
Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...
committed while he was playing for Atletico Madrid from 2011 to 2013. He was accused of using shell companies from the
British Virgin Islands
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = Territorial song
, song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands"
, image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg
, map_caption =
, mapsize = 290px
, image_map2 = Brit ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, and
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
to avoid having to pay image rights taxes, and he was also accused of defrauding around €5.6 million of income earned from image rights. He later pled guilty and paid around €8.2 million. In May 2018, he was given a 16-month
suspended sentence and a €9 million fine.
Charity work
Falcao has donated numerous times to charity organizations and people. In 2013, he convinced
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
watchmaking
A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their part ...
company
Hublot
Hublot () is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1980 by Italian Carlo Crocco. The company operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the French luxury conglomerate LVMH.
History
A scion of the Italian Binda Group dynasty, best known for ...
to donate US$100,000 to a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
program in Colombia. In January 2015, he helped a 17-year-old Colombian boy find a
heart transplant
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...
donor.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
River Plate
*
Argentine Primera División
The Primera División (; en, "First Division"), known officialy as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Binance for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
Th ...
:
2007–08 Clausura
Porto
*
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
:
2010–11
*
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 seaso ...
:
2009–10,
2010–11
*
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese football match played since 1979 between the winners of the Portuguese League (Primeira Liga) and Portuguese ...
:
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
*
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
:
2010–11
Atlético Madrid
*
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footbal ...
:
2012–13
*
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
:
2011–12
*
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Monaco
*
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
:
2016–17
Colombia U20
*
South American Youth Championship
The South American Youth Football Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and es, Torneo Juventudes de América, "Campeonato Sudamericano Sub 20" or pt, Juventude da América (English: "America's Youth") is a South American ...
:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Individual
* South American Team of the Year: 2007
*
Portuguese Golden Ball:
2010–11
*
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
Top Scorer:
2010–11 (17 goals),
2011–12 (12 goals)
[Falcao shines again as Atletico rule Europa](_blank)
FIFA.com. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
*
UEFA Europa League Final Man of the Match:
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
Man of the Match:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
FIFA FIFPro World11:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
Globe Best Footballer: 2012
*
UNFP Ligue 1
Player of the Month: August 2017
*
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in France, French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was est ...
Top scorer:
2017–18 (3 goals)
Records
*
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
all-time top scorer: 35 goals
* Top goal scorer of the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
: 3 goals
*Only player to have scored a hat-trick in a single final of the UEFA Super Cup
*Only player to score 4 goals in a
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
knockout match
* One of two players to win two consecutive UEFA Europa League titles with two different teams
* Most goals scored in a UEFA Europa League season: 17 goals
*Most goals scored in the UEFA Europa League: 30 goals
*Most goals scored in the UEFA Europa League knockout stages: 20 goals
*Most goals in a UEFA Europa League knockout tie: 5 goals
*Most UEFA Europa League hat-tricks: 3 hat-tricks
*Most goals scored in UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League finals: 3 goals
See also
*
List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
*
List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
In men's association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official match appearance for their national team. In total, over 600 players have played in 100 or more international matches. The re ...
*
List of footballers who achieved hat-trick records
The first-ever hat-trick in an international match was recorded on 2 March 1878, when John McDougall scored three times for Scotland in a 7–2 win against England. Since then there have been numerous players who scored three or more goals in ...
References
External links
*
Official profileon
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
*
*
*
Radamel Falcao Garcíaat Football-Lineups.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falcao, Radamel
1986 births
Living people
Colombian people of English descent
People from Santa Marta
Colombian Christians
Colombian footballers
Association football forwards
Lanceros Boyacá footballers
Club Atlético River Plate footballers
FC Porto players
Atlético Madrid footballers
AS Monaco FC players
Manchester United F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. players
Galatasaray S.K. footballers
Rayo Vallecano players
Categoría Primera B players
Argentine Primera División players
Primeira Liga players
La Liga players
Ligue 1 players
Premier League players
Süper Lig players
UEFA Europa League winning players
Colombia youth international footballers
Colombia under-20 international footballers
Colombia international footballers
2011 Copa América players
2015 Copa América players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
2019 Copa América players
Colombian expatriates in Venezuela
Colombian expatriate footballers
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in England
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Expatriate footballers in Argentina
Expatriate footballers in Portugal
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Monaco
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Turkey
Sportspeople from Magdalena Department
FIFA Century Club