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Radamel Falcao García Zárate born on 10 February 1986, is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and the Colombia national team. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest Colombian footballers of all time.
Radamel Falcao began his professional career in the Argentinian league in River Plate, where he played with their youth academy from 2001 until 2004 and later won the 2007–08 Clausura tournament. In 2009–10, he joined Porto, where he won several trophies, including the UEFA Europa League and Primeira Liga double in 2011.
In August 2011, Radamel Falcao moved to Spanish club Atlético Madrid for a club record €40 million. He was integral in the club’s 2012 Europa League and Super Cup victories. He was also prolific in La Liga 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, Radamel Falcao controversially signed for newly promoted Ligue 1 side Monaco 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 clubs Manchester United and Chelsea.
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Rejoining Monaco in the summer of 2016, Radamel Falcao regained his best form and led them to their first Ligue 1 title in 17 years. he joined Turkish club Galatasaray in 2019, before returning to La Liga in 2021 with Rayo Vallecano.
Radamel 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 but missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup through injury, and made his World Cup debut at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Radamel 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 to the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2012, finished in fifth place for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or, and was awarded the 2012 Globe Soccer Best Footballer. In November 2018, Radamel Falcao was honored by Atlético Madrid fans with a plaque outside the Metropolitano Stadium.
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Radamel Falcao wasn’t able to participate in the 2010 World Cup qualification 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 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. In total, Falcao played 10 games and scored once during the qualifying campaign.
Radamel 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”, Radamel 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 position, and he is also known to have a tendency to take curved and chip shots.
Radamel Falcao is well known for having a strong weak foot (left) that is equal to his right foot (preference), allowing him to be flexible with goal-scoring. He 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 Radamel Falcao is only of average height (1.77 m), his heading and jumping technique has given him an edge in aerial battles for balls and 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.
Who are Radamel Falcao’s children?
Radamel Falcao has four children. His first child Dominique García Tarón was born on 13 August 2013, at the Princess Grace Hospital in La Colle, Monaco, his second daughter, Desirée García Tarón, was born in February 2015, his third daughter, Annette García Tarón, was born in August 2017, and his first son and fourth child, Jedediah García Tarón, was born in September 2020.
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