Nearly three years ago a 26-year-old Radamel Falcao stood alongside two tigers from the Circo Mundial circus for a photo shoot at Falcao’s very own hunting ground at that particular time; the Vicente Calderón stadium of Atlético Madrid. MARCA’s headline read: ‘Tiger loose at the Vicente Calderón!’
The Colombian has been aptly nicknamed “El Tigre” (Spanish for The Tiger) for his predatory instincts in an unquenchable hunger for goals upon goals. An appetite so akin to a tiger it would only be surpassed that very season (2011/12) by a duo of arch rivals even more ruthless than Radamel himself, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nonetheless, Falcao would prove both illusive and deadly to his numerous victims that season, living up to the name of El Tigre. Indeed, Falcao recorded a staggering 36 goals in all competitions for Atlético, thus transcending the likes of Baltazar and Diego Forlán in Atlético history.
The following season, the last of which Falcao would spend at Atlético, saw the tiger make the kill 34 times in 41 appearances, nine fewer outings than the previous season. Perhaps the most memorable and successful of the tiger’s hunts came at the expense of current club Chelsea, as Falcao tore Chelsea’s defence to shreds with a first-half hat-trick in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup.
Yet the tiger was a proven killer long before his move to Madrid. Falcao began honing his skills in his native Colombia with Lanceros Boyacá and made his debut at just thirteen, becoming the youngest ever debutant at the second tier of Colombian professional football.
Two years and one goal in just eight matches later, Falcao made the move across South America to join Argentina’s most successful club side, River Plate. In time, the tiger grew stronger and developed the knack of scoring goals, 34 in 90 to be exact, overcoming two serious knee ligament injuries along the way.
Next was a transfer to Portugal with Porto for £3.2 million, just days after Benfica refused to pay an additional £500,000. Porto proved to be the perfect habitat for the tiger and Falcao hit 41 goals in 51 games, including numerous goals against bitter rivals Sporting Lisbon and Benfica, a series of hat-tricks in the Europa League against Rapid Vienna, Spartak Moscow and Villarreal and the only goal in the final of that competition against domestic rivals, Braga.
Falcao’s astonishing form in Portugal prompted the Atlético Madrid hierarchy to make Falcao the club’s most expensive signing in history and we know how the tiger fared in Spain. Fittingly, the final of the Super Cup where Falcao had dismantled Chelsea was held in the Stade Louis II where the tiger would find a new home. Atlético Madrid’s financial instability forced them to turn their £35 million investment into a profit as they sold Falcao to the deep pockets of AS Monaco for £52 million.
As one might expect the tiger’s relentless goalscoring exploits continued in the principality of Monaco with Falcao driving Monaco to the top of Ligue 1 whilst leading the goal scoring charts in the early stages of the season.
However in January 2014, it was confirmed that Falcao had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, effectively ending his 2013/14 season and ultimately ruling him out of the 2014 World Cup. The news was met with a wave of responses from teammates and fans alike, but little did we know the tiger would never be the same again. Certainly, Falcao’s plight can be quite easily compared to that of a tiger.
Firstly, the career of a footballer is relatively short and the so-called peak years are even shorter. Similarly, the reign of a male tiger is also brief, and like a footballer time soon passes them by as a new generation emerges.
Secondly, a tiger is very selective concerning their prey due to an instinctive fear of injury. Once injured a tiger is unable to hunt and thus faces starvation. Whilst not heavily reliant on his speed, Falcao lost just a yard of pace through injury and his once deadly movement became easier to track, thus limiting his opportunities in front of goal. Like a tiger’s killer bite Falcao still has the ability to score, his near-post header at home to Crystal Palace was a timely reminder that he is no longer the beast of the past.
Finally, the circumstances Falcao and a tiger find themselves in are also rather alike. The wild is merciless, an aging and injured tiger stands little chance of survival. Likewise, the everyday football ground and the crowds which attend are also unforgiving. Since his move to England, Falcao has received little empathy and has been somewhat ridiculed. Unfortunately, it appears football fans across the Premier League have failed to show the respect El Tigre truly deserves.
