Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a striker. Nicknamed "El Tigre" (The Tiger), he is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest South American players of all time. He is the all-time top goalscorer for the Colombia national team and was the all-time top goalscorer in the UEFA Europa League until 2024. In 2012, he was named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI, finished in fifth place for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, and was awarded the Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year.
Falcao began his professional career in Argentina with River Plate, where he played in their youth academy from 2001 until 2004. In 2009, he relocated to Europe as he joined Portuguese club Porto. In 2010–11, Falcao scored twice in the Europa League final as Porto completed a treble. He was the Europa League top scorer with a competition-record 17 goals. In August 2011, he joined Atlético Madrid, where he again won the Europa League title, scoring twice in the final. In 2012–13, he scored a hat-trick in Atlético's win against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup and helped the club win the Copa del Rey.
Despite interest from top European clubs, Falcao signed for newly promoted Ligue 1 side Monaco in 2013 for €60 million, one of the most expensive transfers at the time. After sustaining a six-month ACL injury in his first season, he had loan spells at Premier League clubs Manchester United and Chelsea. He returned to Monaco in 2016, helping the club end the league dominance of Paris Saint-Germain by winning the 2016–17 Ligue 1 title, scoring 21 goals. Since leaving Monaco in 2019, Falcao has played for Galatasaray, Rayo Vallecano, and Millonarios.
Falcao made his senior debut for Colombia in 2007. He earned over 100 caps and scored 36 goals. He represented his country at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Copa América. He missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup through injury, but made his World Cup debut at the 2018 tournament in Russia. He also captained the national team various times between 2015 and 2021, until recurring injuries affected his availability.
Falcao made his debut for Lanceros Boyacá in the Colombian Categoría Primera B (second tier) on 28 August 1999, playing the last 40 minutes against Deportivo Pereira at the age of 13 years and 199 days, thus becoming the youngest debutant at that level of Colombian professional football. In 2000, Lanceros' coach, Hernán Pacheco, began to consider the 14-year-old more seriously; Falcao played seven matches that year. On 23 July, at the Estadio Olímpico del Sol in Sogamoso, he scored his first and only goal for the club, to seal a 2–0 win against Club El Cóndor that took Lanceros off the bottom of the table. In his two years with the club, he played eight matches and scored once.
After training with Millonarios, who did not take up their option to purchase the player, Falcao was sold to River Plate of Argentina in February 2001, for a $500,000 fee. He began his River career in the youth team, playing in the eighth division of Argentine football. River's coach, Leonardo Astrada, gave Falcao his professional debut in the 2005 Torneo Clausura, on 6 March 2005, in a game that finished in a 3–1 victory for his club against Instituto de Córdoba.
Falcao became a regular in the first team during the 2005 Apertura. He scored twice in a match for the first time in Argentina, on 2 October in a game against Independiente that finished as a 3–1 win for River. On 9 November 2005, Falcao scored a brace, which contributed to a 4–1 home win against Lanús. The following week, he scored two goals in five minutes and assisted Marcelo Gallardo as River won 5–1 against San Lorenzo; however, shortly after scoring his second goal, he suffered a ligament injury and missed the remainder of the Apertura. The Colombian striker ended the campaign with seven goals from as many games under the management of Reinaldo Merlo, who gave Falcao the trust he needed to establish himself in the team.
During pre-season in January 2006, he sustained a more serious ligament injury to the same knee, which required surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2006 Clausura and 2006 Copa Libertadores as he was kept off the pitch for about 7 months. He returned to the field in September, soon after the start of the 2006 Apertura, in which he made 12 appearances, mainly as a substitute; he scored just once, to seal a 2–0 win against Rosario Central on 23 October that took River clear at the top of the table. A few days earlier, he made his debut in CONMEBOL competition, in the last eight of the 2006 Copa Sudamericana against Atlético Paranaense. He was replaced at half-time, and the match finished 2–2; this meant River were eliminated on aggregate, as they lost the home leg 1–0.
He was sent off in his only outing in the 2007 Copa Libertadores, against Colo-Colo on 22 February 2007. Domestically, he made little impression on the 2007 Clausura. He scored in only one of the eight games he played: River's first two goals as they beat Racing Club 4–2 away from home. Falcao scored his first professional hat-trick on 27 September 2007, as River made a historic comeback against Botafogo to win the series 4–3 after trailing 3–1 on aggregate and progress into the quarter-finals of the 2007 Copa Sudamericana. Three days later, he scored in a 3–3 draw against Rosario Central, and the following week, he scored his first goal in a Superclásico as River beat Boca Juniors 2–0. On 26 October 2007, Falcao scored with a long range strike in a 2–2 draw away to Defensor Sporting; a goal which later proved to be crucial as River advanced to the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals on away goals.
River Plate were reported to have rejected a $15 million offer from Milan for Falcao in early 2008, as well as bids from clubs including Aston Villa and Fluminense. On 27 February, Falcao scored, but was red-carded, in a 2–1 win over Club América in the 2008 Copa Libertadores group stage. He was a key player in River's 2008 Clausura title, his first domestic title, scoring 6 goals. His performances linked him with moves to a variety of clubs, including Man United and Arsenal. Nevertheless, he remained with River as they suffered the worst campaign in their history, finishing bottom of the 2008 Apertura, with Falcao scoring 5 goals.
In 2009, the club had a difficult start: they were eliminated in the group stage of the 2009 Copa Libertadores and won few games at the beginning of the 2009 Clausura. Falcao retained his eye for goal and was instrumental in Nestor Gorosito's plans; having matured as a striker in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons, he scored 35 combined goals in his last two years with El Millonario.
On 15 July 2009, Primeira Liga team Porto signed Falcao on a four-year contract worth €3.93 million for 60% of his economic rights after Porto sold striker Lisandro López to Lyon for €24 million. In the transaction, Porto also sold Mario Bolatti for €1.5 million to a third party owner, Natland Financier B.V., in exchange for 35% of the economic rights of Falcao. A week before, Porto rivals Benfica came very close to signing Falcao after making a €4.7 million offer, but the reluctance of the club to pay an additional €700,000 requested by Falcao for awards and delayed salaries dictated the end of negotiations. He made his debut against Paços de Ferreira on the opening matchday and scored an important goal to earn the team a draw. He went on to score three goals in as many games, making him one of the few to score four goals in the first four matchdays of the Portuguese league.
On 30 September 2009, Falcao scored his first UEFA Champions League goal, a backheel, in a 2–0 group stage win over his future club, Atlético Madrid. On 12 December, Falcao scored a header to defeat rivals Sporting in a 1–0 home victory. On 10 January 2010, Falcao scored a brace, including the winning goal, in a 3–2 league victory over Uniao de Leiria. On 2 February, Falcao scored twice in a 5–2 Taça de Portugal quarter-finals victory against rivals Sporting. In the same month, he scored the winning goal in a Champions League round of 16 victory over Arsenal, his fourth goal in the tournament, even though Porto were later eliminated from the competition. On 3 April, Falcao scored a brace against Marítimo to lead the scoring charts with 20 goals, although he would eventually finish the season as the second-highest league scorer with 25 goals, behind only Benfica's Óscar Cardozo, who had 26. Falcao later scored two more braces in away victories over Vitoria Setubal and Leiria on 24 April and 8 May respectively. He scored in his last game of the season, the 2010 Taça de Portugal Final, where Porto won 2–1 against Chaves. Falcao wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 34 goals in all competitions.