Football Sport

Falcao’s second chance

Written by Ben Blaschke

Remember those stories of Falcao’s depression at Manchester? Of him hugging his agent, Jorge Mendes, and crying over his decision to move to England? Many would have justifiably believed that Falcao, once a frightening figure up front at Porto and Atlético Madrid, has passed his prime time – his chance of playing at another big club gone. But Jose Mourinho, who shares the same agent with Falcao, obviously felt differently.

Falcao, a prolific striker with powerful running and accurate shooting, was the successor to Sergio Agüero at Atlético and their fans never moaned about losing the Argentinian. With 52 goals from 68 appearances, including a hat-trick in the European Super Cup against Chelsea, Falcao’s stunning strike rate prompted cashed up Monaco to spend big to acquire his services in a deal worth around €60 million in 2013.

A serious cruciate ligament injury in January 2014 ended Falcao’s season as well as his World Cup dream on his home continent but Louis Van Gaal, the new Manchester United manager, didn’t waste any time signing him on a loan deal despite the £265,000 weekly salary he came with.

Yet Falcao never looked the same striker he was before his knee injury and with just four goals from 26 appearances at United was branded by many the Premier League’s biggest flop of 2014/15.

Falcao was lethal for Atletico Madrid

Falcao was lethal for Atletico Madrid

Such a judgement is obviously harsh. The Colombian has proven himself to be the complete footballer during his career, being able to play in any system. During his time at Porto, where André Villas-Boas deployed a 4-3-3 formation and a philosophy of all-out attack, Falcao played in the middle of the front three with Hulk and James Rodriguez along the wings. At Atlético Madrid, he was part of a counter-attacking system where his powerful and direct running played a vital role.

Regardless of his year at United, he could well prove a brilliant acquisition for Mourinho following the departure of Didier Drogba. With Diego Costa also struggling with injury, Stamford Bridge needs another prolific striker next season. Is Falcao a gamble? Mourinho doesn’t think so. As one of the best motivators in football, the Portuguese is supremely confident he can bring the best out of Falcao again.