Radamel Falcao
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Radamel Falcao García Zárate | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | River Plate | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 June 2008 | |||
Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born February 10, 1986 in Santa Marta, Magdalena) is a Colombian forward who plays for River Plate of Buenos Aires, Argentina and has represented Colombia at the U-17, U-20 and Senior levels.
Background
He prefers to be called by his middle name, Falcao, though he is sometimes referred to by the nickname El Tigre. Falcao is a dynamic striker noted for his ability to finish with both feet, a strong burst of pace and his intensity of play. 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 Roma legend Falcão. He is a devout Catholic and leader of the church youth groups "Locos Por Jesus" and "Atletas de Cristo."
Beginnings
As a youth, Falcao began playing at Fair Play, a Colombian soccer school, before joining the youth system of Bogota's Millonarios club. At the age of 15, Falcao was discovered by River Plate 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.
Early career
At 20, Falcao debuted scoring two goals in his first start with the River Plate first team. He quickly built a reputation scoring seven goals in his first seven starts, before tearing the anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee during the offseason of 2005. This injury subsequently caused him to miss an extensive amount 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. 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 September 27, 2007 Falcao scored a hat-trick for River Plate against Botafogo, with the last goal coming in injury time, to guarantee River Plate a place in the quarterfinals of the Copa Sudamericana 2007 - 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 semifinals of the Copa Suramericana 2007. Falcao also scored his first goal in the famed Superclásico derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors on October 7, 2007. Concurrently, Falcao represented the Colombian National Team in qualifying for World Cup 2010, earning call ups to all of Colombia's fixtures and starts against Brazil and Venezuela.
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.[1] Falcao came in fifth in overall voting for South American player of the year in the same survey.
Playing under Diego Simeone, Falcao won his first trophy on June 22, 2008 as River Plate finished champions of the Argentine Clausura 08. In Simeone's 4-2-3-1 formation, Falcao adapted from his usual role as centerforward to play in the middle of an attacking midfield trio. Falcao finished River's top scorer in the Spring semester with 11 goals (6 in the League and 5 in the Copa Libertadores). He was also River's top scorer in aggregate across the 07-08 period with 19 goals in 35 starts in all competitions across the autumn and spring seasons.
Titles
| Season | ClubOn | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Clausura 2008 |  River Plate |
Argentine Primera |