The inevitable quips did not take long to surface once Manchester United had confirmed their loan move for Radamel Falcao, suggesting dryly whether the Colombian could do a job at centre-half. However, despite the sarcasm, United can hail the arrival of a goalscorer who is undoubtedly one of the finest out-and-out strikers in world football.
His arrival will ensure United have one of the most potent attacking line-ups in the Premier League, if Louis van Gaal can mould the class at his disposal into an effective force. Falcao is a player who, wherever he has been, has found the net, scoring goals that have ranged from the spectacular to the relatively mundane.
The 28-year-old's highlights reel makes compelling viewing, even if he has not featured in the Champions League since 2010. Volleys from unlikely angles, chips from range and decisive finishes are found in abundance for Porto, Atlético Madrid and Monaco, the three European clubs who have benefitted from the South American's presence leading the line.
Falcao is the latest big-name Premier League import from the stable of Jorge Mendes, the Portuguese agent who this summer has helped Angel di María, Diego Costa and Eliaquim Mangala all complete moves and who also secured James Rodríguez's switch from Monaco to Real Madrid.
He has long been linked with English clubs, from Aston Villa's initial interest six years ago to the sensational loan deal agreed by Manchester United on Monday, and one who would have joined Rodríguez in the Colombia team that captured the hearts of many neutrals on the way to the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil were it not for a serious knee ligament injury sustained in January.
Falcao has previously admitted that he is obsessed by scoring goals. He told FourFourTwo in 2012: 'When a move starts, you're thinking about participating, in just playing. You're not yet thinking about the goal. But it's always there in the back of your mind and as the move gets closer to the penalty area you start thinking about what kind of spaces might open up, what opportunities could be generated for you to score a goal. You start thinking about an individual play or the way the team is building something. How that can develop into a chance on goal? You're starting to realise that there could be a chance here, or there ... about the space, the delivery.'
It is a mindset that has resulted in a formidable record. Since moving to Porto in 2009, Falcao has scored comfortably more than a goal every other game, lighting up the Portuguese, Spanish and French leagues with his anticipation, movement, pace and aerial ability.
For some, the hat-trick against Chelsea that secured the 2012 Uefa Super Cup for Atlético made him the world's most coveted marksman. But in reality his prowess had been common knowledge on the continent for years.
It all started as a 13-year-old for Lanceros Boyacá in the Colombian second tier, where he scored his first professional goal at 14, before moving to River Plate in 2001 for £350,000. It was in Argentina that he became known as 'The Tiger' a nickname he earned from a team-mate after winning a man of the match award sponsored by Esso, whose adverts featured a prowling big cat.
It became an appropriate moniker, as Falcao quickly developed into the jewel in River's attacking crown. It was here that Falcao developed from a precocious talent into one of Europe's most wanted, receiving admiring glances from a number of clubs including Milan and Villa during a spell which yielded 49 goals in 110 matches.
After moving to Portugal in 2009, Falcao scored a remarkable 72 goals in 87 games for Porto and won a clean sweep of titles including the 2011 Europa League. At this stage Falcao was not owned outright by the club, instead the subject of a third-party ownership arrangement, which are common at Porto.
He is still listed on the roster of Doyen Sports Investments, but agreed a £35m move to Atletico in 2011 - where he scored 70 times in 91 games, securing another Europa League title - before joining recently-promoted Monaco for £51m in the summer of 2013.
'I never think I'm not going to score, I never panic, I never start to worry,' he said two years ago. 'I believe I will score. I just know, no matter how long I have to wait, that the goal will come. Football without goals doesn't work. Goals give the game meaning, they give value to football. I have always been passionate about goals. Obsessed.'
Post By http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/sep/01/radamel-falcao-goals-manchester-united
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