Most of
England gathered in prayer to help mend David Beckham’s metatarsal in
2002 - now the whole of Colombia is willing star striker Radamel Falcao
to make his own miracle recovery from injury.
Colombia
has been waiting for Falcao’s knee to improve since he damaged
ligaments playing for Monaco in a French Cup tie in January.
A
final decision on whether or not he will go to the World Cup will not
be made until Sunday, when the team’s Argentine coach Jose Pekerman
finalises his 23-man squad.
Star man: The whole of Colombia are praying Radamel Falcao will recover from injury in time for the World Cup
Setback: England gathered in prayer back in 2002
after David Beckham broke his metatarsal playing for Manchester United
against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League following a tackle
from Aldo Duscher
Falcao, who scored nine goals in 13
matches as Colombia finished second to Argentina in the South American
qualifying group, said: ‘The reaction in Colombia to my recuperation
really made an impact on me. It has reminded me how important I am for
the country. I wouldn’t say it has put more pressure on me. It’s more a
case of an extra motivation - wanting to do things not just for me but
for all the people who willed me to get fit.
‘The
closer the World Cup gets, the more I am thinking I don’t want to be
just watching in Brazil. I have worked hard to make sure that is not
going to be the case but with an injury it’s not just how hard you work,
it’s also how patient and calm you can be.’
England
fans will continue to watch his recuperation carefully. If Colombia
emerge from Group C, which features Greece, Japan and Ivory Coast, they
could face Roy Hodgson’s team in the second round.
Comeback trail: Falcao has stepped up his recovery and trained with the Colombia squad on Wednesday
It
would be a repeat of the 1998 World Cup group game when Glenn Hoddle’s
England brushed aside one of Colombia’s best-ever teams in the Stade
Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.
‘I
remember watching the England game with my dad,’ said Falcao. ‘Darren
Anderton scored and David Beckham scored with a free-kick and we were
going home early again.
‘We
have paid the price in the past for not being as advanced in many areas
of the game as other countries. That has left us poorly prepared for
big tournaments but now, with so many Colombian players playing in big
clubs all over the world, that has changed. We have improved our
mentality.’
Memory: Falcao remembers watching Beckham score against Colombia at World Cup '98 with his Dad
If his knee stays strong, Falcao could benefit from being sidelined for so long.
‘I
don’t come into the tournament with the weight of a long season in my
legs so that could be an advantage,’ he said. ‘Providing my knee is
fine, the rest of me is well rested and fresh.’
Back of the net: Falcao celebrates scoring a penalty against Chile during World Cup qualifying
To
get out of the group Colombia may have to get past the Ivory Coast and
one of Falcao’s striking references, Didier Drogba. ‘It’s no surprise
that he is still there at the top,’ said Falcao. ‘If you are as
professional as he has always been and you look after yourself you
extend your career at the top.
‘We have a real chance in this group because it’s even.’
Not that Falcao believes Colombia merit their shorter odds than England going into the tournament.
‘You
underestimate yourselves,’ he said. ‘I see England as favourites with
Germany and Spain in terms of the European contenders and obviously
Argentina and Brazil from South America. I would put England ahead of
ourselves in terms of favourites.
‘You
have one of the best leagues in the world and it’s extremely
competitive, so the players who play in it are elite players. Maybe they
would benefit from a little emigration as well, to experience other
leagues.’
Falcao
shunned the Premier League for a lucrative contract at Monaco last
summer, but the 28-year-old says he will end up in England one day.
‘I
hope to be playing for many more years in Europe and I want to play in
the English league at some time,’ he said. ‘I watch the Premier League
and I see how competitive it is and how teams are very direct in terms
of looking for the opposition’s goal. The football is very physical;
it’s a very interesting league.’
Big-money move: Falcao, who joined Monaco for £51m, says he will end up playing in England one day
Time
will tell if it is attractive enough to tempt Falcao; next season he
will be playing for Monaco in the Champions League. ‘It is very
important to be playing in this competition. I know that people want to
see me competing in the Champions League,’ he said.
He
also understands why people questioned his decision last year to move
to a club who average crowds of under 15,000. He scored 52 goals in 67
games for Atletico Madrid but justifies the switch to Monaco, saying:
‘Everyone decides what he wants for his own life. Everyone has to do
what they think is best for them. When you are a professional sportsman
you always want to win regardless.’
There must have been some regret at witnessing Atletico enjoy such a superb season.
No regrets: Falcao says he was overjoyed to see
former club Atletico Madrid win La Liga and reach the Champions League
final this season
‘I’m a little bit surprised at just how well they played and I’m
overjoyed at what they have achieved,’ he said. ‘Diego Costa had an
incredible season. He was decisive when he needed to be in the league.
People say we are similar because we played the same position in the
same team but they forget we also played together last season. He can
play wide when necessary. He prefers to go out wide to look for space, I
prefer to stay central.’
Costa
looks set to move to Chelsea if Jose Mourinho does not act on his
long-standing admiration for Falcao, who believes the magic will remain
at Atletico as long as Diego Simeone stays. He was coached first at
River Plate and then at Atletico by the manager who Fifa neglected to
put in their top 10 coaches last season.
‘I
think they forgot him,’ said Falcao. ‘He is one of those coaches who
has everything. He knows how to motivate players but it’s a lot more
than that. People think it’s all inspiration but there is an awful lot
of work done, too. He knows how to analyse the games and he knows where
to take advantage of the opposition’s weakness.’
WELCOME BACK, BOYS
It's been a while since we've seen Colombia. Where have they been?
After success in the 1990s with midfielder Carlos Valderrama and his wonderful hair, Colombia have failed to reach the last three World Cups.
They have a colourful past...
Colombia were highly fancied for the 1994 World Cup but finished bottom of their group after
Andres Escobar’s own goal.
On his return to Colombia, Escobar was shot dead.
How did they qualify this time?
Impressively. Colombia had the best defensive record in their group. They thrashed Uruguay 4-0 and got as high as third in the world rankings.
