Radamel Falcao is arguably the third best striker in the world behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Porto man has been top of many big clubs’ shopping lists after proving his ability to rip the back of the net. The Colombian has recently made a £50 million move to Monaco with the Ligue 2 champions embarking on a summer shopping spree but has he ruined his future?
Falcao stunned Chelsea earlier in the season by netting a superb hat-trick leaving the Blues in awe as Atletico Madrid stormed to the UEFA Super Cup in August. It seemed as if the Colombian would be packing his bags and his destination would be the Premier League. Big spenders Manchester City and Chelsea themselves were both rumoured with moves for the striker both offering the striker Champions League football.
However, the 27 year old choose to move to AS Monaco. The club are owned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and he has already financed moves for top players such as James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho from Porto. He also sanctioned the £50 million transfer fee for Falcao; the fee could prove to be the biggest of the summer. Monaco are planning to further strengthen this summer to challenge the other big spenders Paris Saint Germain for the Ligue 1 title.
Even with new signings, it will be a real challenge for Claudio Ranieri’s side to challenge for the top division as money giants such as Manchester City, Anzhi and even PSG struggled in their initial seasons. Falcao could have moved to a Champions League club but Monaco could build a team worthy of Champions League quality. However it would still be another season before they can even qualify for the elite competition and it’s hard to understand Falcao’s reasoning for a transfer to France.
Money is an obvious factor. Falcao’s new wage is reportedly around £14 million per annum. As Beniot Assou-Ekotto pointed out, a footballer’s career can end in an instant due to injury. Therefore players must make as much money as possible out of their grossly inflated pay packages.
Falcao is the prime of his career and should not have moved to Monaco. A player with his gift, should be playing Champions League football. Many teams could offer him that opportunity; some teams can even offer the same wage bracket. Falcao’s future now hangs in the balance.
Source: DSG
