Radamel Falcao has brought Colombia back to the fore in International Soccer and made Atletico Madrid relevant in the Spanish League.
The striker is widely touted as one of the best (if not the best natural) strikers in the game today. For the second straight year, Falcao won the Europa League by scoring 12 goals in 15 games for Atletico Madrid. He then added a hat trick against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup Final. Then in the 2011-12 season he scored 24 goals for Atletico and was the third highest scorer in the Spanish League after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
His play has only improved to start the 2012-13 season. He currently has 10 goals and one assist and has kept pace with Messi and Ronaldo to this point. More importantly, Atletico is currently in second place in the Spanish League with 28 points. While they are three points behind Barcelona, they are a full five points ahead of Real Madrid; and Falcao is the main reason for that.
He has helped bring Colombia back to relevance in the international stage with goals in their last three qualifying victories over Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
Biggest Moment of the Year: His Europa League run is the clear front runner, but making Colombia an international powerhouse for the first time in years is no easy feat and Falcao has been a major part of that.
Chances of Filling a Top Three Spot: Not only is Falcao a potential candidate to fill the final spot of the top three, but he is also being tauted as a favorite to win the award due to his ability to carry Atletico Madrid on his shoulders through the Europa League and to open the 2012-13 Spanish League season.
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