Falcao's injury is a huge setback for Colombia and the World Cup at large. The World Cup is an event that features the world's greatest superstars in the sport and it represented the first chance that Falcao's tremendous goal-scoring chops would be exhibited to the world at large. Now the Colombian will miss out on that chance for what could be the rest of his career.
On the other end, Colombia loses its second best goal-scorer of all time and its most productive striker in the World Cup qualifiers. Throughout the qualifying campaign, Falcao put up a total of nine goals, including five in a four-game winning streak in late 2012 and early 2013.
He then struggled a bit to put together the same level of production and only managed three penalty shot goals in the final six games of the qualifiers. Unsurprisingly, Los Cafeteros only managed two wins in those six matches.
This would indicate that Colombia goes as far as Falcao takes them. The next question would be: will his absence harm Colombia's World Cup?
Colombia has been deemed as a contender for a number of reasons. South American sides have an edge on their continent, but Colombia also had an unrivaled wealth of talent that is in its prime. Pablo Armero, Cristian Zapata, Fredy Guarin, Abel Aguilar, Macnelly Torres, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Teofilo Gutierrez and Jackson Martinez are all at least 25 years old or more; in fact most of those players are 27 and in the prime of their careers. With the exception of Cuadrado, they will all be on the wrong side of 30 when the World Cup in Russia comes around in four years; there is a chance that none of those players will be on the team in four years. There will be no doubt that they will work hard to make the most of what could be their only chance at World Cup glory.
But what about replacing Falcao? Gutierrez and Martinez are likely to be the starters, but the team also has 22-year-old Luis Muriel and Carlos Bacca as potential backups.
And this is without mentioning James Rodriguez, possibly the most important player in the entire Colombia lineup. Falcao's 21-year-old Monaco teammate is not only capable of scoring goals, but he is a terrific passer with tremendous vision and skill.
Falcao's absence will be a great loss for his nation and the tournament. However, Colombia has more than enough talent to compensate for his loss.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
