Radamel Falcao, Colombian footballer
Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and often captains the Colombia national team. He is nicknamed "El Tigre" (Spanish for The Tiger). He is often regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation and as one of the greatest Colombian footballers of all time.Falcao began his professional career in the Colombian Second Division at the age of 13 at Lanceros Boyacá, before moving to the Argentine club River Plate, where he played with their youth academy from 2001 until 2005 and later won the 2007–08 Clausura tournament. In 2009, he joined Portuguese club Porto, where he won several trophies, including the Europa League and Primeira Liga double in 2011. Falcao became their all-time top goalscorer in international club competitions and set the record for most goals (17) in a European campaign. He also became the first Colombian to receive the Portuguese Golden Ball award. In August 2011, Falcao was transferred to Atlético Madrid for a club record €40 million, leading them to Europa League and Super Cup victories in 2012. Falcao finished as top goalscorer for the second straight year and became the first player to win consecutive Europa League titles with two teams. He was named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2012, and finished in fifth place for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
In May 2013, Falcao joined newly promoted Ligue 1 side Monaco for a club record €60 million; however, an ACL injury in January 2014 ruled him out for several months. Falcao spent the next two seasons on loan at Premier League clubs Manchester United and Chelsea, eventually rejoining Monaco in the summer of 2016 and leading them to the Ligue 1 title and the Champions League semi-finals during the 2016–17 season.
Falcao made his senior debut for Colombia in 2007, and has since earned over 90 caps and scored 35 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. Falcao missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup through injury, but made his World Cup debut at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
In November 2018, Falcao was honoured by the Atlético Madrid fans with a plaque outside the Metropolitano Stadium.