In the 2012 FIFA team of the year, Radamel Falcao sat alongside Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo in attack. A deadly attacking trio that strikes fear into La Liga defences on a weekly basis.
Falcao is a player who has become a household name following his success at Porto and most recently Athletico Madrid. However, Ronaldo and Messi still stand ahead of him and the old-age argument of ‘best footballer’ is seen as a two-horse race.
There is cause for disagreement in this regard, as Radamel Falcao is a top class footballer who, like Messi and Ronaldo, can change the course of a game in an instant and show sublime skill on regular occasions.
Falcao gave Athletic Bilbao a torrid time in last year’s Europa League final before doing the same again to Chelsea in the Supercup. His goalscoring record cannot be argued with and makes for impressive reading. 34 goals in 90 games for River Plate, 41 in 51 games for Porto and currently 44 in 55 for Athletico Madrid.
Perhaps one aspect that holds Falcao back is his national team. Colombia aren’t exactly a team you’d expect to do superbly in national tournaments and their squad isn’t blessed with household names, but they are on the rise and are ranked 6th in the world- ahead of Ronaldo’s Portugal.
They are expected to make to World Cup next Summer and with Falcao in their ranks, they could be a dark house and cause some real problems.
Given that Messi is not as effective for his country, some suggest he can’t perform without his Barca midfielders behind him, Falcao should not be disregarded due to his national service. Ronaldo’s Portugal side blow hot and cold but that still doesn’t affect how fans perceive him.
Falcao, unlike Messi, has showed his attacking prowess across a range of leagues- in Argentina, Portugal and Spain. While some may argue that the first two aren’t as competitive as they could be, Falcao has also ripped up Europe on a number of occasions and has lifted the Europa League twice with 2 different sides.
He also surpassed Jurgen Klinnsman record of European goals in a calendar year, his tally of 17 eclipsing the previous record that stood at 15.
He has many plaudits which also support him. He became the first player to win consecutive European tournaments with two different sides, where he was top goalscorer in both tournaments. He was also the first player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Supercup since it’s reform in 1988.
With over 100 goals in his last 3 seasons and a goal-by-minute ratio that is second to none, Radamel Falcao is definitely one of the world’s best and should not be as overlooked as he is at times.
If any team wants to add Falcao to their ranks they will have to pay megabucks, but it will be worth it. In fact, the €40 million Athletico paid for the Colombian striker could be seen as a steal.
Source: The Express.
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