French Ligue 1 special: A time when Radamel Falcao was ignored by three Ligue 1 clubs
If they have less money than their competitors, the Ligue 1 clubs rarely take a lot of risks in transfer windows. However, there are some instances when they are regularly offered chips at low rates but they choose not to avail the opportunity largely due
to a lack of ambition.
In the past, many clubs in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 have been offered players at low rates but the clubs snubbed the players. Surprisingly, many of these players are now some of the biggest stars in Europe.
Bettor.com takes a look at a player who was snubbed by three Ligue 1 clubs a few seasons back and who would later become a household name in many European and world regions.
Radamel Falcao
Current club: Atletico Madrid
Go back to the spring of 2009. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Radamel-Falcao-c30276 is still far from the fearsome striker that he is today but his reputation is growing at Argentine giants River Plate. His good performances for the La Plata-based club had already alerted some of the prestigious
clubs in Europe.
Through an agent, Radamel Falcao was proposed to several French Ligue 1 clubs. AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130 were all offered the services of a player. What’s even more surprising is the fact that River Plate wanted only 4 million
Euros for the services of the striker who till then, was an unknown quantity.
Surprisingly, the aforementioned three Ligue 1 clubs thought the 4-million-Euro price tag too hefty for a player and all three clubs ignored the proposals thus indicating their lack of ambition.
However, the striker was destined to come to Europe and Portuguese giants http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Porto-c39186 took the risk and paid four million Euros for the Colombian.
What happened next?
The striker arrived at the Iberian Peninsula on the back of a strong season with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/River-Plate-c40368 in which he scored 16 goals from 35 games. In his first season with the
Dragões, the striker scored 34 goals in just 43 appearances. In his first season at Porto, Falcao won the Taça de http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Portugal-c2984.
However, what he did in the first season paled in comparison with what he did in his second season. Under the guidance of the then Porto coach Andre Vilas Boas, Falcao scored 38 goals in 42 games which included a whooping tally of 18 goals from 16 games
as Porto won the UEFA Europa League and dominated the Portuguese League.
In 2011, he was decorated by the Colombian Congress with the Order of Boyaca. In the summer transfer window, Falcao was sold to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid for 40 million Euros, 10 times the original price that Lyon, PSG and Monaco were offered in 2009.
Since his arrival at Madrid, the 25-year-old has scored six goals in seven outings for Atletico Madrid and is already stamping his authority as one of the most fearsome strikers in Europe.
Once again, three Ligue 1 clubs failed to benefit from an opportunity that could have guided them to glory. When he was offered to Lyon, the club was under a lot of pressure and finding goals seemed too much of an ask. Same was the case with PSG and Monaco
whose faltering campaigns could have benefited from the presence of Falcao in their squad.
One can only shudder to think if Paris Saint-Germain had signed the striker who would then pair up with the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kevin-Gameiro-c20721 to form one of the deadliest attacking quartets in Europe.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect bettor.com's policy
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