Colombia mourned on Thursday after hearing that its superstar forward Radamel Falcao would not play in the World Cup this summer.
The Monaco striker suffered a torn ACL on Wednesday during a domestic league cup match. He is expected to be out for at least six months, meaning that he will not be available for the big tournament in Brazil.
Falcao has not given up hope on potentially playing in Brazil this summer as confirmed by a message he put up on Twitter.
"I'm not going to deny my sadness is huge, my heart is broken," he wrote. "But I'm clinging to the smallest hope, and that's enough to think that my World Cup dream is still alive.
"God makes possible the improbable, I believe in Him!!!" he added. "I want to thank all of you for so many messages of support in the last few hours, I'm really touched by the warmth that's been shown to me from all over the world."
The news is a sad twist for Falcao and his country. At age 27, this is Falcao's first and only World Cup in his prime; by the time Russia comes around in 2018, the Colombian will be 32-going-on-33 and may not be a starter or even a fixture in Colombia's lineup. Moreover, Colombia may not even qualify for the tournament in 2018 as most of its top stars are in their prime heading into Brazil.
Falcao is currently tied with Faustino Asprilla for second-most goals scored for the national side; both have scored 20 goals. While Asprilla scored the 20 goals in 57 matches, Falcao has managed the feat in 51. Moreover, the superstar is just five away from tying the record with Arnoldo Igauaran who scored 25 in 68 games.