10 Things you need to know about Man United target Falcao

Falcao


Chances are you won’t have heard much about Manchester United target Falcao, but he’s certainly big news in his native South America. Here’s your essential need to know…

1) Radamel Falcao García Zárate was born 10 February 1986 in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Columbia.

2) He plays for legendary Argentinian club side River Plate as a centre forward and helped them to the Argentinian League title in 2008.

3) He has earned himself the nickname El Tigre, but is usually know by his middle name, Falcao.

4) He started football at Fair Play, a footballing school in Columbia. He then joined the youth team at Club Deportivo Los Millonarios. He was discovered by River Plate at 15, when playing for the Colombian Under-17 side.

5) Before signing a professional contract with River Plate, Falcao had embarked on a journalism degree at Buenos Aires university. Could come in handy should he have to face the British press.

6) Falcao is nothing if not prolific. He scored two goals on his debut for River Plate's first team, racked up seven in his first seven starts, and to date has scored an awesome 38 goals in just 58 appearances.

7) He missed most of the 2005 season due to a serious knee injury and struggled to regain fitness in 2006 and 2007. Last year, he hit form with a vengeance, becoming River Plate's top scorer with 19 goals from 35 starts in all competitions. And here he is scoring one, and then celebrating with what looks suspiciously like a piece of bread in his mouth:


8) He is named after ex-Brazilian and Roma midfielder, Falcão, widely regarded as one of the best players in Roma's history.

9) His father Radamel García played for Columbia, a feat which Falcao has since repeated, with seven starts and two goals.

10) He is a religious man, and leads the church groups 'Locos Por Jesus' and 'Atletas de Cristo'. Christ knows what he’ll make of England,then...