Falcao rises to the level of Messi and Ronaldo
Roar Guru By k77sujith, 28 Oct 2012 k77sujith is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- atletico madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, football, Lionel Messi, Primera Liga
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While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to defy normal standards and hog headlines with their astounding heroics in all competitions, one player has been quietly, but steadily rising up the ranks – Colombian Radamel Falcao, who plays for Atletico Madrid.
Nicknamed ‘El Tigre’, Falcao is easily one of the best players in the world today, along with Messi and Ronaldo.
Blessed with speed, agility and an eye for goal, Falcao marked his entry into Europe by joining Portuguese club Porto in 2009.
During his time at Porto, Falcao scored more than 70 goals in 87 games in all competitions, including a record 17 goals in 14 games during the 2010-2011 Europa League.
With top clubs making a beeline to poach the striker, Falcao eventually decided to join less-fancied Atletico Madrid in 2011 – and what a masterstroke it has proved to be for ‘Los Colchoneros’.
They finished in fifth place in the 2011-2012 season, with Falcao scoring an incredible 36 goals in all competitions.
It’s a foregone conclusion that the battle for La Liga will eventually become a two-horse race between Real Madrid and the mighty Barcelona, as has been the case for several years.
But thanks to fantastic performances by the Colombian again this season, Atletico Madrid has thrown a spanner in the works, having made a tremendous start to the 2012-13 campaign.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team is on an unbeaten run of 20 games, having not lost a match in any competition since April of 2012. That’s a sign of a team on the rise.
As the league stands after eight games this season, Atletico are equal with Barcelona on 22 points.
While it may be premature to label them a potential title challenger, Falcao has played a significant role in making Atletico believe that they can win La Liga.
‘El Tigre’ has already netted 12 goals this season in all competitions, compared with Messi’s 15 and Ronaldo’s 16.
Manager Diego Simeone says that Falcao is “one of the best three players in the world today and [he's] got no reason to envy anybody”.
With a much more reliable defensive unit than in previous years, Atletico Madrid has started to combine brilliantly as a team, and they are giving other sides a run for their money.
Can ‘Los Colchenoros’ go on to win La Liga, or at least end the season as one of the top two teams in Spain? A lot depends on the form of Falcao.
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- Explore:
- atletico madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, football, Lionel Messi, Primera Liga
October 28th 2012 @ 11:43am
Alan Nicolea said | October 28th 2012 @ 11:43am | Report comment
I agree that it will be difficult for Atletico to press for title honours in La Liga but the important thing for them is to secure a Champions League place for next season. I would really like to see Falcao plying his trade in the Champions League rather than Europa League. He is too good a player not to be playing in the Champions League and I fear that if Atletico do not qualify for the Champions League after such a strong start to the year, Falcao will move on to a bigger club like a Chelsea who are interested in his services I believe. I would also like to congratulate Diego Simeone as coach. He had nothing to work with while he was coaching in Argentina with Racing club but now we are starting to witness his great coaching potential ever since he took over Atletico. One thing’s for sure, I cannot wait for the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real. If things keep going the way they are for Atletico this may very well be the biggest Madrid derby ever!
October 28th 2012 @ 12:09pm
k77sujith said | October 28th 2012 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
Well said Alan….looking forward to the derby
. As for Falcao, yes, a player like him needs to feature in the Champions league and like you said, he’s already a player in demand and his form is closely followed. Thanks Alan.
October 28th 2012 @ 12:19pm
Neuen said | October 28th 2012 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Falcoa is good but he is no Messi. Messi 3 in 1 and have you looked at the creating part? Messi and Ronaldo time and time again are amongst the top with scoring and assists.
October 28th 2012 @ 3:04pm
k77sujith said | October 28th 2012 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
Yes Neuen, he’s not quite at the same level yet but his feats have been sidelined due to the briliance of Messi and Ronaldo week in week out. Moreover, like Alan said, he needs to move to a high-profile club (with due respect to Atletico) and win silverware. Thanks.
October 28th 2012 @ 3:48pm
Alan said | October 28th 2012 @ 3:48pm | Report comment
k77sujith – That’s the thing. If Falcao is already one of the world’s best strikers at Atletico imagine how good he could become at a club like Chelsea, where the likes of Hazard and Mata provide world class service. Also forgot to mention Falcao’s form for Colombia. Ever since Pekerman took over, Colombia have started to play to their potential and deserve their place inside the top ten of the FIFA world rankings.
October 28th 2012 @ 4:59pm
k77sujith said | October 28th 2012 @ 4:59pm | Report comment
True Alan…its probably just a matter of time before he moves to England in all likelihood. Thanks again.
October 28th 2012 @ 5:17pm
Brian said | October 28th 2012 @ 5:17pm | Report comment
Will be interesting to see how he goes against bigger clubs. Right now he’s not in the Champs League & his Colombian team aren’t playing Brazil in qualifiers or featured in WC 2010.
Messi & Ronaldo have proven themselves the best against all defenders and in Ronaldo case in the 2 best leagues. One needs to dominate a long time and I would put Messi & Ronaldo above Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo (Bra), Ronaldinho, Kaka, Henry so Falcao probably needs to get to them before we get to the two best players possibly ever and I would say since Maradona.
October 28th 2012 @ 6:38pm
k77sujith said | October 28th 2012 @ 6:38pm | Report comment
You make a good point Brian, yes, he needs to prove his quality against top teams over a sustained period. It would be interesting to see where he heads next and how he performs in the Champs league and for Columbia. Thanks.
October 28th 2012 @ 10:28pm
glen said | October 28th 2012 @ 10:28pm | Report comment
Great player . I’d put him around the top 5 behind messi, Ronaldo, iniesta and xavi. He essentially won the europa cup final singlehandely last year.
However, the system needs to fit him. To get the best out of him you need to play direct and on the counterattack. He also needs to work alone at front. I haven’t been able to see him play in la liga, but it would be interesting to see how he goes against packed defences.
He also seems like a really good guy. I was impressed with his humility when I heard him speak after the europa cup final.
October 29th 2012 @ 5:46am
k77sujith said | October 29th 2012 @ 5:46am | Report comment
Good point Glen.
October 29th 2012 @ 7:58am
Punter said | October 29th 2012 @ 7:58am | Report comment
He won the Europa cup in 2009 with Porto, under ABV & surprised he didn’t take him with him to Chelsea, would have saved them a lot of money.
Easily the best striker in the world in 2009 & even better now, amazing such a player is not playing for one of the top teams.
October 29th 2012 @ 9:30am
k77sujith said | October 29th 2012 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Probably just a matter of time before he moves to a ‘Big’ club. Also surprising he chose Atletico in 2011 which they say is because his agent holds a great relationship with one of Atletico’s chief executives. Thanks Punter.