“My first memories from childhood are in training sessions with him inside a dressing room, he is taking me by the hand,” says Radamel Falcao. He has a family story, which also makes it a football story, through photographs and in the calm, almost gentle voice that characterizes him, with a hint of cowardice in the man he calls "The Tiger".
It's not that every phase of Falcao's remarkable career has been captured on camera from Lanceros Boyacá – from River Plate to Porto, from Atletico Madrid to Manchester United, from Chelsea to Galatasaray and now at Rio Vallecano – it is that his Every stage of childhood is also a chart from one club to another. In the family album, he appears in red, blue, white and yellow, just a small child, but a little older each time. He does this with his favorite footballer, dressed in a single kit: Independiente de Medellin, Deportivo Tachira, Mineros de Guyana and the rest.
Radamel Enrique García King played for Colombia in the 1980 Olympic Games. He also played for eight different clubs in Colombia and Venezuela. His son Radamel Falcao García Zarate followed him everywhere. When his father retired in 1996, Falcao was 10 years old. Incredibly, he was also only three years old from his professional debut and soon it would be Redmail Sr.'s turn to go to the Games, with the roles reversed.
In January 2019, Falcao's father tragically passed away. He had seen his son play for six clubs in six different countries and scored more goals for Colombia than anyone else, arguably the greatest footballer in their history. Now in Rio Vallecano, Falcao wears No. This is an unusual number for a striker, but it is the number his father wore. There couldn't be a better tribute than this. Except that's the whole point: Her entire career, arguably the best any Colombian has ever had, is about who she is and the way she is.
Falcao speaks softly; There is only one word in the conversation that he really emphasizes, really projects on and this is the moment he defines the effect his father has on him. "Muchisima," he says.
"My passion for this sport was born because of him," says Falcao. "I got a lot of advice from him. The values with which I make my way through life and this sport were inherited from my father. He was an important figure in all aspects of my life."
A few years ago, Radmail Sr. spoke at a conference titled "How to Make a Tiger of Your Sun" and there was definitely something to it. Radamel's surname was not given to him by his father – it was the work of Gonzalo Luduena when he was playing seventh level in the river – but there was much more to it, including his position and his real name. Falcao Rayo is not the striker's surname, but rather his middle name after former Brazil international Paulo Falcao.
Some players, that's for sure. No pressure, baby. There is a smile. "Well, at least he had good taste," Falcao says, laughing softly. "He enjoyed good football and had an admiration for Falcao. I never got the chance to meet him. Obviously, I would love to meet him: I'm named in his honor. In the end, my dad reassured me. Did mom let her give me a name like myself."
was that tough? One more smile. "I imagine so."
Radamel was a protector, but a father wants the best for his son. "He always encouraged me to keep going," Falcao says. "He was a defender and he told me that defenders hurt a lot. Strikers have more fun."
That happiness remains. Falcao's attitude - his attitude, enthusiasm for it - is inherited. Awareness also comes from his father. Playing the game meant that Redmail Sr. could guide, mold and groom his son; He could have prepared her for reality as well.
El AS Monaco presenta sus condolencias a Radamel Falcao y familia, tras el fallecimiento de su padre, Radamel García King. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/05rPvjaagy
— AS Monaco ES 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco_ES) January 4, 2019
"I had the possibility to enjoy professional football so that I could make it happen," recalls Falcao. "Being surrounded by professional football players inside a dressing room, learning to handle myself, seeing the discipline a player should take, the effort that was to be put in. At a very young age, living it all gave me the opportunity to say that That [playing professional football] was what I wanted to do once I grew up."
He didn't have to be very old.
“In Colombia, there used to be a rule that teams in the second division had to field players under the age of 16, even if it was just for a minute,” explains Falcao, smiling at that scenario. Which gave him such a small debut. "All the [U16] players in the club were either injured or sent out, so no one else was available. I stood out [in my team] but they didn't have their plans to play [in the first team] ] That season. In the end, they had no choice but to field me..."
It wasn't the way it was planned, but it was the start of a career that would make Falcao one of the game's best finishers - perhaps the best. Three hundred goals, jerks at a ridiculous rate. He scored 70 runs in 87 games at Porto and 92 in Atletico Madrid. Nor was it just his club; It went beyond that. It's been almost a decade since he's gone, but the mark he left in Madrid is still there. Universally popular, there was a delicacy - and still is - that helped explain his success, but as soon as that success comes, it is lost.
There's no easy way to judge how good he was last time here, and how important. This whole Atletico era begins with him. He was the resurrection. He took them to the UEFA Cup, Diego Simeone called his kids after the game and admiringly asked "Did you see Falcao?!" - Became a coach fan. Falcao's final game for the club was the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Atlético won, the first time they had beaten their city rivals in a decade, going back 24 games, breaking the curse.
He didn't really want to go, but that summer he left for France, where injury interrupted everything. Even if he had left Atlético, there were reports that he would soon return to the city. Real Madrid were interested, something club president Florentino Pérez would later publicly admit. And so, it seemed, he was. There was even a tweet - quickly deleted - that suggested the deal was done to move him to the Bernabeu, "a dream come true."
"It was talked about, there was speculation about that possibility," he admits now.
And was that possibility real?
"I don't know. I don't think so. At the time, with the rivalry there and with my identity with Atletico, which was very strong, I don't think there was any chance of that happening."
Now, though, he's really back. Small teams in the Rio Vallecano of all places, from working-class neighborhoods to the east of the city. It's not the kind of place players like him should turn, but talks with Rio midfielder Mario Suarez - a teammate at Atletico - did. Suarez was the one who set the ball rolling, suggesting to the club that it might in fact happen.
"The relationship with Mario was continuing, we kept talking [and] the possibility opened up after he left Atletico Madrid," says Falcao. "He told me something about the club and helped me make a decision."
It is tempting to conclude here that Suarez didn't tell him everything about the club. Rayo, simply put, is a bit of a club mess. Fortunately, as a team, it was different. Even as a city, that's why there was a certain logic in making the change. When Falcao returned to Madrid, there was something almost unbelievable about the reaction, the joy in having him back, a symbol that everyone could embrace. There was a warmth towards them that was mutual.
"I made it a priority to stay in a competitive league, [I wanted] to remain an important piece for the national team, to enjoy La Liga in Spain, a competition I'm already well-informed about. Knew. The opportunity to join Rayo made sense in every way; with this immensely talented team, I felt very excited and the team's potential," explains Falcao.
"I'm very happy to join the club. I think we've had a great first half of the season. In January, we scored a run that hasn't been positive, but the team believes that, with hard work and ability Together, we're going to get through this.
"Madrid was a city that marked me a lot," he continues. "We live many beautiful moments as a family, not just in sports. For Latin Americans, it's a strategic location within Europe. We feel very comfortable [here], the customs are like in Latin America , and the adjustment here is easy for us."
"For me and my family, it has been very exciting. I come to the club with the hope and enthusiasm of giving my goals, my football and helping this team. It is something that my family and I will never forget." I thank this club and above all the Rayo supporters who have welcomed me in the best possible way."
And when he scored in his first game... the whole place went haywire.
Falcao was only 10 minutes and 24 seconds behind and the ball was already in the net, a familiar sight Spain brought back. One that goes back a very, very long time. "I dreamed of coming and scoring," he said that day. He meant a 3-0 win against Getafe in that match, but it went much deeper than that. As Valeques observed, barely able to believe that this was actually happening right here, now, that he was here, Falco hugged his companions and then pointed to the sky and raised his hand to his father. With whom it all began.
Falcao is currently 36 years old. It's been 23 - twenty three - years since she made her professional debut, but there's still something almost childlike about her; Still the child is, perhaps, wearing the colors of his father and looking at his idol, who takes him by the hand and whose love guides him through the game.
"The day I stop feeling it, the moment I step aside," Falcao says. "To wake up every morning, enjoy the training session, give my best. The passion I have for this sport is how I've lived it since I was a very young boy."