Who does not know Radamel Falcao? A familiar name for fans of soccer. The man whose full name is Radamel Falcao Garca Zrate plays as a striker for the Greek club Galatasaray and is still actively defending the Colombian National Team. Falcao began his career in the world of football since the age of 13 years. At that time, in 1999, he studied at one of the clubs from Colombia, Laonceros Boyaca.
Interestingly, at a very young age, Laonceros Boyaca played it in league B Colombia (professional soccer league in Colombia) which made his name listed as the youngest Colombian player to play at a professional level. There is only one reason, Falcao is said to be a serious player in his career. This was revealed by Lanceros coach Hernn Pacheco that Falcao was very serious in training and playing. Thanks to its seriousness, Falcao’s style of play is getting better and more impressive.
Therefore, there is no grandiose consideration for fellow Latin American clubs from Argentina, River Plate brought him in 2001. River Plate gave him the opportunity to increase his knowledge for five years in the junior team before attracting him to the first team. Seeing Falcao’s ever-increasing development, River Plate gave the man born on February 10, 1986 to make his debut in the first team. The decision was very appropriate, the article Falcao scored two goals in his first debut against fellow Argentine club, Independiente.
Falcao’s dream of being the best player vanished after he suffered a knee ligament injury which forced him to be absent for half the season until the start of the 2006/2007 season. The return of Falcao became a breath of fresh air for River Plate and became a key player Diego Simeone won the Argentinian Primera Division in the 2007/2008 season. His appearance with River Plate that season made Falcao sell at the time of 2.2 million euros, seizing the attention of elite European clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United. In fact, AC Milan reportedly never offered River Plate to buy Falcao for 15 million euros.
Nevertheless, Falcao finally anchored at FC Porto with a price of 3.93 million euros. Porto had competed furiously with Benfica to fight Falcao so Porto were willing to sell their two best players, Lisandro Lopez and Mario Bolatti. FC Porto’s decision to buy Falcao despite having to give up his two best players is right. Falcao started his first season by scoring 34 goals in all competitions.
Falcao’s adaptation of the season made him a key player for FC Porto. They managed to win the Portuguese League in only 25 matches and managed to come out as champions of the European League. Interestingly, Falcao became the first player and is still the last player to score the most goals in the Europa League in a season with 17 goals. Maybe you are wondering, why does Falcao easily scored into the opponent’s goal?
Falcao’s move as a number nine player is difficult for the opponent’s defender to analyze. Because, Falcao can score from all angles with both feet. In fact, he can score from a position that is not possible to score. At that time, many said that Falcao’s level of play was on par with Cristiano Ronaldo who not only scored with his two legs but also through a header which was deadly equivalent to Cristiano Ronaldo even though his height was not comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Falcao is able to play in 90 minutes with constant speed and control compared to other players. In fact, it is very difficult to see Falcao tired in chasing the ball on the field. Instead, he was able to run at high speed in critical conditions to save the club from defeat. Falcao’s record and style of play finally made football fans dub him as El Tigre. For Spaniards, Falcao is a European Tiger.
Lionel Messi, the world’s best player at the time flattered Falcao to the sky. In fact, in his comments he hopes to play with Falcao classmates.”I’d like to play with him. Falcao is a great player and is at a very high level. He has won everything in a season in which he scored many goals. He is, today, the great reference of Colombian football,” said Lionel Messi
Atletico Madrid under the coaching of Diego Simeone is interested in a reunion with Falcao. Maybe, El Colo wants to repeat the success story they once carved together at River Plate. Finally in 2011, Atletico Madrid managed to bring Falcao with a transfer fee of 40 million euros which established him as the most expensive player in the history of Porto at the time. The ferocity of Falcao with Porto reoccurred with Atletico, they won the Copa del Rey trophy in the 2012/2013 season, the UEFA Europa League 2011/2012 season and the 2012 UEFA Super Cup.
The sale value of Falcao with Atletico Madrid to 60 million euros. On May 31, 2013, AS Monaco FC brought Falcao for an undisclosed fee. However, the purchase price is believed to exceed 60 million euros. With AS Monaco, Falcao’s appearance was not as sharp as when he was with Porto and Atletico. As a result, Falcao’s selling price dropped to 55 million euros. Supported by his status as a dead reserve which finally made him undergo a status as a loan player at MU at a price of 6 million euros. During one season with Manchester United, Falcao was unable to influence the management of the Red Devils because he was only able to score 4 goals in 26 matches. AS Monaco is trying to give a new atmosphere by lending Falcao to Chelsea.
However, Falcao only adorned the bench for one season because of an injury. He only appeared 10 times by scoring one goal when he lost 1: 2 against Cristal Palace. 2016/2017 season Falcao returns to AS Monaco and leads as captain. Despite appearing better than himself playing in two English clubs, Falcao’s name seems unattractive in the world of football. The selling price dropped to 15 million euros.
Now, Falcao has been signed by Galatasaray for three seasons. As Falcao increasingly marginalized, the selling price has declined dramatically. In fact, it is said to only be sold at a price of 6 million euros. Now people starts to say that the king of european league has been dethroned.
ASL
