Radamel Garcia, Falcao’s father and a former Colombian international who played at the 1980 Summer Olympics, spoke about the clubs his son declined before agreeing to the loan deal “Manchester United is the most important team in England and one of the most powerful financially,” he said on Colombian radio.
Days before Falcao completed his move to Old Trafford, he sparked speculation with a tweet stating: ‘Hala Madrid.’ Despite being a favourite at Real Madrid’s city rivals Atletico, it appeared Falcao was angling for a move back to the Spanish capital, this time to don the white of Los Blancos.
However, things didn’t work out as planned, and Falcao ended up in England. His father revealed insights into why the move to Bernabeu collapsed, explaining: “Things did not happen with Real Madrid because if you have money and you go to the shops to buy a shirt or trousers, you have to decide if you buy it or not.
“So Real Madrid opted not to do it, and you can’t do anything about that. Apart from that, I don’t know, I have a feeling they wanted the player to offer himself as a gift with a number of conditions and things like that.
“It didn’t happen because, as I said, they decided to buy the trousers and the shirt they wanted, and they considered what was better for them, and you have to accept that because they are the ones who pay the money. Thank God, everything happened with Manchester United.”
Ultimately, Falcao’s stint in England failed to live up to his previous exploits in Spain and France. In his lone season at United he netted a mere four goals in 29 games, and even spent time playing for the club’s Under-21s team.
He then made his way back to Monaco, only to be swiftly dispatched to England once more, this time with Chelsea who had wanted to sign him for a while. The move, a deal akin to United’s an initial loan with a £38m buy option proved even less successful.
The forward managed to score just one goal before a severe thigh injury prematurely ended his year-long stint. Falcao, now 38, continues to play professionally, having recently returned to his home country of Colombia to play for the 16-time champions Millonarios, based in Bogota.
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