Radamel Falcao
Encyclopedia
Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986), commonly known simply as Falcao, is a Colombian
football striker who currently plays for Atlético Madrid.
He passed Jürgen Klinsmann
's record of 15 goals (17) in a single UEFA Cup
/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 of 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.
Radamel prefers to be called by his second name. He is known for a strong burst of pace and a powerful header. Falcao is a second generation footballer: his father, Radamel García, played professionally as a defender in Colombia. Falcao is named after the 1980s Brazil
ian 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."
while playing for the Colombian U-17 side and was recruited to join the Argentine side's legendary youth academy and reserve system. Before signing his first professional contract with River Plate, Falcao had begun studies in journalism
at the University of Palermo
in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
.
At 19, Falcao debuted as a starter under Reinaldo Merlo, scoring two goals in his first start for River Plate. He quickly built a reputation, scoring seven goals in his first seven starts. He would score seven goals in his 11 appearances in 2005 (four as a sub under Leo Astrada). He injured ligaments in his right knee while scoring a goal in a match against San Lorenzo
. Falcao exacerbated the knee injury when he tore the anterior cruciate ligaments of the same knee during a pre-season practice in January 2006. The ACL injury subsequently caused him to miss a lot of games. Recovering from the long period of inactivity that followed, Falcao struggled to regain fitness throughout 2006 and the spring of 2007, as nagging injuries continually derailed comeback attempts. The recovery period would be the most difficult of Falcao's career, as he would score only three goals in 25 appearances in aggregate over the fall and spring of 2006–07 — 10 of these appearances being late game substitutions.
for River Plate against Botafogo
of Brazil
, with the last goal coming in injury time, to guarantee River Plate a place in the quarter-finals of the 2007 Copa Sudamericana — his goals helped overturn a two-goal deficit that River faced with only nine men on the pitch. Falcao subsequently scored a long range goal against Defensor Sporting to qualify River Plate to the semi-finals of the same tournament. He also scored his first goal in the famed Superclásico derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors
on 7 October 2007. Concurrently, Falcao became a fixture on the Colombian national team
, competing for qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, earning call-ups to all of Colombia's fixtures.
Based on his performances in 2007, Falcao was voted a member of the prestigious "XI of America" in the annual survey of South American sports journalists conducted by El Pais de Montevideo. Falcao came in fifth in overall voting for South American player of the year in the same survey. In the winter transfer market, River Plate would reject a reported €
8 million ($
12.5 million) offer from Deportivo La Coruña
of Spain
for the player.
Playing under Diego Simeone, Falcao won his first championship as on 22 June 2008, River Plate finished a top the Argentine Clausura 2008. In Simeone's 4–2–3–1 formation, Falcao adapted from his usual role as center forward to play in the middle of an attacking midfield trio — the switch saw him finding few scoring opportunities in the box but more involved in the overall play of the team. Falcao finished River's top scorer in the spring semester with ten goals (six in the league and four in the Copa Libertadores). He was also River's top scorer in aggregate across the 2007–08 period with 19 goals in 35 starts in all competitions across the fall and spring seasons.
Simeone's second season was to prove the least successful in River's long history with the side finishing last in the table for the first time. During the miserable campaign, Falcao would score only six goals but remain one of River's most consistent players. Under Simeone's replacement, Nestor Gorosito, Falcao would return to form, scoring 10 goals in 21 games in all competitions. In aggregate across the 2008–09 period, he would again be River's top scorer with 16 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions across the fall and spring periods.
to Olympique Lyonnais
. In the transaction, Porto also sold Mario Bolatti to a third party owner, Natland Financieringsmaatschappij B.V., in exchange for residual rights of Falcao. This move greatly angered Porto's greatest rivals, Benfica, because of the heavy negotiation they went on to sign him only to see Falcao trading them at the last second for their rivals. He made his debut against Paços de Ferreira on the opening day of the season, 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 very few to score four goals in the first four matchdays in the Portuguese league.
On 15 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–0 away defeat against Chelsea
. Falcao would later score a brilliant header to defeat rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal on the sixth matchday, giving his team a 1–0 home victory. Four days later, on 30 September, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a group stage win over Atlético Madrid. On 2 February 2010, Falcao scored twice in a Portuguese Cup
quarter-finals victory against rivals Sporting CP. In the same month, he scored the victory goal against Arsenal
in a UEFA Champions League round of 16 match, being his fourth goal in the tournament. On 3 April, Falcao scored a brace against Marítimo, and turned into the highest goalscorer of the Portuguese League with 20 goals, but he would finish the season as the second-highest league scorer with 25 goals, behind only Benfica's Óscar Cardozo
, who had 26. He scored another goal in his last game of the season, the Portuguese Cup final, where Porto won 2–1 against Grupo Desportivo Chaves. He wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 34 goals in all competitions.
2–0 victory over Benfica. He scored his first two league goals on the second matchday of the season against Beira-Mar on 22 August 2010. On 7 November, he scored twice (one of them an impressive backheel goal) in a 5–0 victory against the defending champions Benfica, and later, on 2 December, Falcao scored his first hat-trick
for Porto against Rapid Wien
during a UEFA Europa League clash, becoming the top goal scorer of the competition with seventeen goals. On 7 April 2011, Falcao scored another hat-trick in the quarter-final of the Europa League against Russia
n side Spartak Moscow
, which was won by the Portuguese team by a score of 5–1, to bring his goal tally in the tournament to 10.
In the 2010–11 season, Porto won the league title in round 25 of the league against rivals and defending champions Benfica at the Estádio da Luz. He played a key role in that match, winning his team a penalty when the match was tied at 1–1; the penalty was scored by teammate Hulk. In the match against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, Falcao scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a 5–1 win. In the second leg, he scored another goal and provided another assist that took Porto to the tournament's semi-final stage. He further added to his position as top scorer in the competition by scoring four goals in the semi-final first leg against Villarreal
, a game which finished 5–1 in favour of Porto.
In the UEFA Europa League final, Falcao scored the only goal of the game with a header after a cross from Fredy Guarín, giving the title to Porto.
He set a new goalscoring record of 17 goals in 14 games during the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, surpassing Jürgen Klinsmann
's previous record of 15 goals.
In July 2011 he extended his contract with €45 million buy-out clause.
, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat. His first goal came five days later, in a Europa League win against Celtic
at the Vicente Calderón
. He then proceeded to score his first hat-trick for Atlético in the following league game against Racing Santander. Three days later, Falcao scored another brace in the 4–0 victory over Sporting Gijón, putting himself as the topscorer of the league with 5 goals, alongside Lionel Messi
and Roberto Soldado
. On 3 November, Falcao netted a goal in Atlético's 4-0 triumph over Udinese
, the goal meant that Falcao had scored 19 goals in his last 18 Europa League games.
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.
Last update: 4 November 2011
1Includes other competitive competitions, including the Portuguese SuperCup.
|2007||8||2
|-
|2008||5||1
|-
|2009||8||2
|-
|2010||4||1
|-
|2011||7||4
|-
!Total||32||10
|}
Porto
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
football striker who currently plays for Atlético Madrid.
He passed Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
's record of 15 goals (17) in a single UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the 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 of 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.
Radamel prefers to be called by his second name. He is known for a strong burst of pace and a powerful header. Falcao is a second generation footballer: his father, Radamel García, played professionally as a defender in Colombia. Falcao is named after the 1980s Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian and A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
legend Falcão
Falcao
Falcao or Falcão may refer to* Élson Falcão da Silva , Brazilian football player* Radamel Falcao, Colombian footballer* Alessandro Rosa Vieira , nicknamed Falcão, Brazilian futsal and football player...
. He is a devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and leader of the Church youth groups "Locos por Jesús" and "Campeones para Cristo."
Early career
As a youth, Falcao began playing at Fair Play, a Colombian football school. At the age of 15, Falcao was discovered by River PlateClub Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
while playing for the Colombian U-17 side and was recruited to join the Argentine side's legendary youth academy and reserve system. Before signing his first professional contract with River Plate, Falcao had begun studies in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at the University of Palermo
University of Palermo (Buenos Aires)
The University of Palermo is a private university located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It has several headquarters which are located in different places of the city. The university offers many educational programs...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
At 19, Falcao debuted as a starter under Reinaldo Merlo, scoring two goals in his first start for River Plate. He quickly built a reputation, scoring seven goals in his first seven starts. He would score seven goals in his 11 appearances in 2005 (four as a sub under Leo Astrada). He injured ligaments in his right knee while scoring a goal in a match against San Lorenzo
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine sports club based in Boedo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, mostly known because of its football team....
. Falcao exacerbated the knee injury when he tore the anterior cruciate ligaments of the same knee during a pre-season practice in January 2006. The ACL injury subsequently caused him to miss a lot of games. Recovering from the long period of inactivity that followed, Falcao struggled to regain fitness throughout 2006 and the spring of 2007, as nagging injuries continually derailed comeback attempts. The recovery period would be the most difficult of Falcao's career, as he would score only three goals in 25 appearances in aggregate over the fall and spring of 2006–07 — 10 of these appearances being late game substitutions.
Return from injury
In the fall of 2007, Falcao returned to River's starting line up, and began to deliver on his early promise scoring a series of crucial game winning goals for his side. On 27 September 2007, Falcao scored a hat-trickHat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for River Plate against Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, with the last goal coming in injury time, to guarantee River Plate a place in the quarter-finals of the 2007 Copa Sudamericana — his goals helped overturn a two-goal deficit that River faced with only nine men on the pitch. Falcao subsequently scored a long range goal against Defensor Sporting to qualify River Plate to the semi-finals of the same tournament. He also scored his first goal in the famed Superclásico derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
on 7 October 2007. Concurrently, Falcao became a fixture on the Colombian national team
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
, competing for qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, earning call-ups to all of Colombia's fixtures.
Based on his performances in 2007, Falcao was voted a member of the prestigious "XI of America" in the annual survey of South American sports journalists conducted by El Pais de Montevideo. Falcao came in fifth in overall voting for South American player of the year in the same survey. In the winter transfer market, River Plate would reject a reported €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
8 million ($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
12.5 million) offer from Deportivo La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for the player.
Playing under Diego Simeone, Falcao won his first championship as on 22 June 2008, River Plate finished a top the Argentine Clausura 2008. In Simeone's 4–2–3–1 formation, Falcao adapted from his usual role as center forward to play in the middle of an attacking midfield trio — the switch saw him finding few scoring opportunities in the box but more involved in the overall play of the team. Falcao finished River's top scorer in the spring semester with ten goals (six in the league and four in the Copa Libertadores). He was also River's top scorer in aggregate across the 2007–08 period with 19 goals in 35 starts in all competitions across the fall and spring seasons.
Simeone's second season was to prove the least successful in River's long history with the side finishing last in the table for the first time. During the miserable campaign, Falcao would score only six goals but remain one of River's most consistent players. Under Simeone's replacement, Nestor Gorosito, Falcao would return to form, scoring 10 goals in 21 games in all competitions. In aggregate across the 2008–09 period, he would again be River's top scorer with 16 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions across the fall and spring periods.
FC Porto
2009–10
Falcao finally made it to Europe when he joined the Portuguese giants FC Porto on 15 July 2009, after Porto sold Lisandro LópezLisandro López
Lisandro López , sometimes known as Lisandro, is an Argentine footballer who plays for Olympique Lyonnais in France.Primarily a striker, he is also capable of playing on the wings....
to Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
. In the transaction, Porto also sold Mario Bolatti to a third party owner, Natland Financieringsmaatschappij B.V., in exchange for residual rights of Falcao. This move greatly angered Porto's greatest rivals, Benfica, because of the heavy negotiation they went on to sign him only to see Falcao trading them at the last second for their rivals. He made his debut against Paços de Ferreira on the opening day of the season, 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 very few to score four goals in the first four matchdays in the Portuguese league.
On 15 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–0 away defeat against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Falcao would later score a brilliant header to defeat rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal on the sixth matchday, giving his team a 1–0 home victory. Four days later, on 30 September, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a group stage win over Atlético Madrid. On 2 February 2010, Falcao scored twice in a Portuguese Cup
2009–10 Taça de Portugal
The 2009–10 Taça de Portugal was the 70th season of the Taça de Portugal. The competition began on 30 August 2009, with the first round matches, and concluded with the final, held on 16 May at the Estádio Nacional, in Oeiras, between defending champions Porto and then Liga de Honra team Chaves...
quarter-finals victory against rivals Sporting CP. In the same month, he scored the victory goal against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in a UEFA Champions League round of 16 match, being his fourth goal in the tournament. On 3 April, Falcao scored a brace against Marítimo, and turned into the highest goalscorer of the Portuguese League with 20 goals, but he would finish the season as the second-highest league scorer with 25 goals, behind only Benfica's Óscar Cardozo
Óscar Cardozo
Óscar René Cardozo Marín is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker.Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained notoriety whilst playing for Newell's Old Boys, which led to a move to Benfica, where he scored more than 100...
, who had 26. He scored another goal in his last game of the season, the Portuguese Cup final, where Porto won 2–1 against Grupo Desportivo Chaves. He wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 34 goals in all competitions.
2010–11
Falcao made an impressive start to the 2010–11 season, scoring a goal in the 2010 Portuguese SuperCup2010 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
The 2010 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira is the 32nd Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Portuguese Liga and Portuguese Cup competitions. Played at Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro, on 7 August 2010, and contested by league...
2–0 victory over Benfica. He scored his first two league goals on the second matchday of the season against Beira-Mar on 22 August 2010. On 7 November, he scored twice (one of them an impressive backheel goal) in a 5–0 victory against the defending champions Benfica, and later, on 2 December, Falcao scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for Porto against Rapid Wien
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
during a UEFA Europa League clash, becoming the top goal scorer of the competition with seventeen goals. On 7 April 2011, Falcao scored another hat-trick in the quarter-final of the Europa League against Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n side Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
, which was won by the Portuguese team by a score of 5–1, to bring his goal tally in the tournament to 10.
In the 2010–11 season, Porto won the league title in round 25 of the league against rivals and defending champions Benfica at the Estádio da Luz. He played a key role in that match, winning his team a penalty when the match was tied at 1–1; the penalty was scored by teammate Hulk. In the match against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, Falcao scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a 5–1 win. In the second leg, he scored another goal and provided another assist that took Porto to the tournament's semi-final stage. He further added to his position as top scorer in the competition by scoring four goals in the semi-final first leg against Villarreal
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
, a game which finished 5–1 in favour of Porto.
In the UEFA Europa League final, Falcao scored the only goal of the game with a header after a cross from Fredy Guarín, giving the title to Porto.
He set a new goalscoring record of 17 goals in 14 games during the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, surpassing Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
's previous record of 15 goals.
In July 2011 he extended his contract with €45 million buy-out clause.
2011–12
On 18 August 2011, Porto announced they had agreed a fee with Atlético Madrid for the transfer of Falcao. The transfer fee was €40 million plus €7 million in potential add-ons, making it the most expensive in the club's history. Falcao made his Atlético debut on September 10 away to ValenciaValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat. His first goal came five days later, in a Europa League win against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
at the Vicente Calderón
Vicente Calderón Stadium
The Vicente Calderón Stadium is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous...
. He then proceeded to score his first hat-trick for Atlético in the following league game against Racing Santander. Three days later, Falcao scored another brace in the 4–0 victory over Sporting Gijón, putting himself as the topscorer of the league with 5 goals, alongside Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
and Roberto Soldado
Roberto Soldado
Roberto Soldado Rillo is a Spanish footballer who plays for Valencia CF as a striker.-Real Madrid:Born in Valencia, Soldado joined Real Madrid at the age of 15 from local small club CF Don Bosco. After seasons of prolific goalscoring with the club's B team, he made his first team debut on 23...
. On 3 November, Falcao netted a goal in Atlético's 4-0 triumph over Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
, the goal meant that Falcao had scored 19 goals in his last 18 Europa League games.
International Career
Falcao has represented Colombia at the under-17, under-20 and senior levels.He was called up to the Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
squad for the 2011 Copa América
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
because of his impressive form at Porto. Falcao proved his worth in their third group game against Bolivia
Bolivia national football team
The Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
, 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.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2007 | Stadion Pod Goricom, Podgorica Podgorica Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... |
0 – 1 | 0–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 8 September 2007 | Estadio Monumental, Lima Lima Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima... , Peru Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... |
1 – 1 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 19 November 2008 | Estadio Deportivo Cali Estadio Deportivo Calì Estadio Deportivo Cali / Estadio del Deportivo Cali or Palma Seca Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium home of the Deportivo Cali Association, a football club from Santiago de Cali, Colombia . It is the biggest football stadium in Colombia... , Cali Calì Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:... , Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... |
0 – 1 | 0–1 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 10 June 2009 | Atanasio Girardot Atanasio Girardot Atanasio Girardot was a Colombian revolutionary leader who fought with Simón Bolívar in the Campaña Admirable and other battles. He died during the Battle of Bárbula, trying to plant the republican flag on Bárbula Hill.... , Medellín Medellín Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million... , Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... |
0 – 1 | 0–1 | 2010 WCQ | |
| 5 | 12 August 2009 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... , East Rutherford East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan.... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
1 – 1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 8 October 2010 | Red Bull Arena, Harrison Harrison, New Jersey Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 13,620. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.-Geography:Harrison is located at .... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
1 – 0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 7 | 26 March 2011 | Estadio Vicente Calderón Vicente Calderón Stadium The Vicente Calderón Stadium is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous... , Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
2 – 0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 8 | 10 July 2011 | Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López, Santa Fe Santa Fe, Argentina Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... |
1 – 0 | 2–0 | 2011 CA 2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America... |
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| 9 | 10 July 2011 | Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López, Santa Fe Santa Fe, Argentina Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... |
2 – 0 | 2–0 | 2011 CA 2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America... |
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| 10 | 11 October 2011 | Estadio Hernando Siles Estadio Hernando Siles Estadio Hernando Siles is a sports stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest sports complex with a capacity of 42,000 seated spectators and is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President of Bolivia... , La Paz, Bolivia Bolivia Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America... |
1 – 2 | 1-2 | 2014 WCQ 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup will feature 32 teams. One place was allocated to the hosts, , but no automatic place is given to the defending champions, . The remaining 31 places will be determined by a qualification process, in which entrants from among the other 207 teams from the six FIFA... |
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||||
| River Plate Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football.... |
2004–05 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | 7 | 7 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 2006–07 | 20 | 3 | – | – | 5 | 4 | – | 25 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 2007–08 | 27 | 11 | – | – | 12 | 8 | – | 39 | 19 | ||||||||||
| 2008–09 Primera División Argentina 2008–09 The 2008-09 Primera División season was the 80th season of top-flight professional football in Argentina and the nineteenth season in which the Apertura and Clausura system is used.... |
32 | 13 | – | – | 3 | 3 | – | 35 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Total | 90 | 34 | |– | 20 | 15 | Porto | 2009–10 2009–10 Portuguese Liga The 2009–10 Portuguese Liga season, officially known as the Liga Sagres due to sponsorship reasons, was the 76th season of top-tier football in Portugal. It began on 16 August 2009 and ended on 9 May 2010... |
28 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 34 |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Portuguese Liga The 2010–11 Primeira Liga season was the 77th season of top-tier football in Portugal. It began on 15 August 2010 and ended on 14 May 2011. A total of 16 teams contested the league, 14 of which already contested in the 2009–10 and two of which were promoted from the Liga de Honra. Benfica were the... |
22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 38 | |||||||
| 2011–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 51 | 41 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 87 | 72 | |||||||
| Atlético Madrid | 2011–12 2011–12 La Liga The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012... |
10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 9 | ||||||
| Total | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 9 | |||||||
| Career Total | 150 | 81 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 210 | 130 | |||||||
Last update: 4 November 2011
1Includes other competitive competitions, including the Portuguese SuperCup.
International
|-|2007||8||2
|-
|2008||5||1
|-
|2009||8||2
|-
|2010||4||1
|-
|2011||7||4
|-
!Total||32||10
|}
Club
River Plate- Argentine Primera División (1): 2008 Clausura
Porto
- UEFA Europa League (1): 2010–112011 UEFA Europa League FinalThe 2011 UEFA Europa League Final was a football match played on 18 May 2011 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, which decided the winner of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League...
- Primeira Liga (1): 2010–11
- Taça de PortugalTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
(2): 2009–102009–10 Taça de PortugalThe 2009–10 Taça de Portugal was the 70th season of the Taça de Portugal. The competition began on 30 August 2009, with the first round matches, and concluded with the final, held on 16 May at the Estádio Nacional, in Oeiras, between defending champions Porto and then Liga de Honra team Chaves...
, 2010–112010–11 Taça de PortugalThe 2010–11 Taça de Portugal, also known as Taça de Portugal Millennium for sponsorship reasons, is the 71st season of the Taça de Portugal. A total of 172 clubs from all four tiers of Portuguese football took part in this tournament... - Portuguese SuperCup (2): 20102010 Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraThe 2010 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira is the 32nd Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Portuguese Liga and Portuguese Cup competitions. Played at Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro, on 7 August 2010, and contested by league...
, 20112011 Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraThe 2011 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira was the 33rd edition of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the annual Portuguese football season-opening match contested by the winners of the previous season's top league and cup competitions...
Individual
- Part of the Dream Team of America in 2007
- Top scorer of Taça de PortugalTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 2009–10 - Best goal of UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2009–10 - Top scorer of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League : 2011 (Record of 17 goals in a European competition)
- Best player of April 2011 of the Portuguese League
- Best player of the UEFA Europa League Final2011 UEFA Europa League FinalThe 2011 UEFA Europa League Final was a football match played on 18 May 2011 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, which decided the winner of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League...
: 2011 - Decorated by the Congress of Colombia with the Order of Boyaca : 2011