By David Lee Wheatley
All go in Monte Carlo
Colombian striker Radamel Falcao was officially introduced
to the press as a Monaco player yesterday, following his flabbergasting £53million
move from Atletico Madrid in May.
Dressed in a smart pink blazer jacket with glorious sunshine
bathing the principality around him, it wasn’t difficult to see why one of the
world’s best footballers chose to pitch up in the glamorous tax haven.
Falcao was immediately quizzed about his controversial
decision to join the Ligue 1 side over more illustrious suitors Chelsea and Manchester
City. His response was categorical; this transfer is no mistake.
The former Porto man firmly believes the ambition of the
club overrides the fact his new side aren’t in European competition and he’s utterly
determined to lead the cash-rich club to the league championship at the first
time of asking. The Monegasque project is an exciting one, as they attempt
to overhaul the equally lavish Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the standings.
Millions have been spent this summer on quality squad additions such as Porto midfielders
Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez, the inspirational Eric Abidal, Malaga ball-winner
Jeremy Toulalan and former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho, who made the
switch from Real Madrid.
With the promise of more signings to come, Falcao and co.
will be serious contenders next season and could benefit from the lack of a European
competition to distract them. Head coach Claudio Ranieri is the man tasked with
putting all the pieces together in order to create a winning team, but if he
pulls it off then Monaco would be set fair for a title charge.
Third only to superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
in the Spanish scoring charts last season, Falcao possesses the pedigree to
suggest he’ll be pivotal to Monaco’s drive for success. His 28 league goals
alerted clubs across the continent to his penalty-box prowess and if he can
repeat that kind of form it’ll surely trigger further speculation surrounding
the potential longevity of Falcao’s stay in Monte Carlo. Again though, he made
it abundantly clear to the assembled media that he’s in it for the long-haul.
Falcao appears primed for further honours in the French
league having won the domestic cup in both Portugal and Spain, along with the
UEFA Europa League twice and a Portuguese Primera Liga championship.
On a personal note, it’ll be a fascinating battle with PSG’s
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and imminent new recruit Edinson Cavani for the top-scorer
tag. The Colombian insists the team comes first, but if he were to top the
goalscoring charts, he may well fire his new team to the very pinnacle of
French football.
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