Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986 in Santa Marta, Colombia), commonly known simply as Falcao and sometimes nicknamed El Tigre, is a Colombian football striker who currently plays for Atlético Madrid.
He is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, having surpassed Jürgen Klinsmann's record of 15 goals (17) in a single annual international club football European competition UEFA Champions League/UEFA Europa League campaign. He also played a key role in guiding Porto to a second UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League title, as well as finishing undefeated in the 2010–11 Primeira Liga season. In July 2011, Falcao was regarded as the fifth best player in Europe during the 2010–11 season through balloting by 53 sportswriters of the UEFA member associations. Falcao was considered the second best goal scorer by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics for 2011 superseded only by Argentine Lionel Messi who was first. Falcao had also received the Portuguese Golden Ball award for 2011 becoming the first Colombian to do so.
So far in only three seasons counting both spells at Porto and currently at Atlético Madrid, Falcao has managed to score more than 100 goals in European competitions since arriving in Europe.[3] Falcao has played a key role once more in leading Atlético Madrid into a 10 match winning streak in a single Europa League season, becoming the first team to do so.
Radamel prefers to be called by his second name. Falcao is a second generation footballer: his father, Radamel García, played professionally as a defender in Colombia. Falcao is named after the 1980s Brazilian and A.S. Roma legend Falcão. He is a devout Christian and leader of the Church youth groups "Locos por Jesús" and "Campeones para Cristo."
Falcao's talents has increased his reputation over recent years during his time in Europe. His talents have been recognized as one of the best that even former F.C Barcelona club manager Josep Guardiola has praised him to be sensational and one of the most talented players in the world. A natural goal scorer, he is known for having a good burst of pace and a powerful header. Falcao is also known for his ability to shoot with both feet.
International career
Falcao has represented Colombia at the under-17, under-20 and senior levels.
He was called up to the Colombia squad for the 2011 Copa América because of his impressive form at Porto. Falcao proved his worth in their third group game against Bolivia, scoring both goals in a 2–0 win that secured passage into the quarter-finals. This being the first time Falcao has ever scored more than one goal in a game at international level. He missed a penalty kick in the 2nd half of regulation when the match was 0–0 in a loss against Peru, in the extra time, two mistakes of the Colombian goalkeeper making Colombia lose 2–0, besides the elimination of the tournament.[46] Falcao made a goal against Bolivia during the first match of Colombia's qualifying for the 2014 world cup during the final minute of the game, giving Colombia a 2–1 win, the first win of Colombia ever in La Paz. In February, Falcao made another goal against Mexico in a game that ended 2–0.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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