There will be plenty of stars to watch in Brazil this June, but sadly one of the brightest will not get to lead his country in a World Cup on his own continent.
Radamel Falcao was bound to take his superstardom to a new level this summer. Now he won’t get the chance. His blown ACL while playing for AS Monaco in Coupe de France match against Monts d’Or Azergues Foot will require surgery, and more than likely keep the striker out of the World Cup.
Falcao’s nine goals in World Cup qualifying not only went a long way to booking Colombia a spot in Brazil, but solidified that he was in fact a world-class player and not just a master of the Europa League.
It just wasn’t meant to be for the want-away Monaco frontman. But really, why was the star player for Ligue 1’s second-place playing in a cup game against a fourth division side anyway? In recent years, there has been so much criticism for clubs not taking cup tournaments seriously by resting their top players. Say what you will about that, but this incident will make more than a few managers think twice before starting their superstars in lesser competitions.
Claudio Ranieri was quick to blame the referee for not clamping down on Monts d’Or Azergues’ (also known as Chasselay) aggressive play, but the Italian will and should take a lot of blame from Monaco supporters. How many other €60 million players do you think you’ll see playing against a third division side? Especially since speculation swirled in December that Falcao was unsettled in Southern France—there were even rumours of January transfer bids—the tarnished 3-0 cup win may end up being the Falcao’s last match for the Monacans.
The more aggrieved party may be Colombian fans now robbed of their hero ahead of the World Cup. Chasselay president Jocelyn Fontanel said he has already received threats from Colombia, with one demanding a lifetime suspension for Soner Ertek—the player whose poor tackle caused Falcao’s knee injury.
Good luck with that. But Colombian understandably supporters are devastated. Facing Greece, the Ivory Coast and Japan in Group C of the World Cup, Los Cafeteros were strong favorites to make a good run this June. Fortunately for the tefma, they have quality depth up front, as Porto’s Jackson Martinez and Udinese’s Luis Muriel prepare to step into the breach.
But the sad reality is the world will lose out on opportunity to see one of the game’s great goal scorers showcase his talents on the sport’s biggest stage.
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