Ahead of the crucial third round of games, Columbia skipper Radamel Falcao is expected to play an important role. The South Americans started the tournament slowly with Japan defeating them. However James Rodriguez return was a much needed boost in the second game against Poland. The former Real Madrid star has scored six times and had four assists in seven World Cup games for Columbia so he sorely missed in their first game.
Togo International Emmanuel Adebayor, who was without a club for six months after leaving Crystal Palace in July 2016, has extended his contract at Turkish club, Istanbul Basaksehir for another three years. The 33-year-old scored six goals in 12 appearances last season after signing in January, and helped the club finish as runners-up in the Turkish League last season.
Radamel Falcao has had a somewhat zigzag career path but today he is the star player in the Monaco team. The Ligue 1 man has faced several stumbling blocks on the path here but for footballers there are many factors beyond their control.
Falcao is one of the proven top strikers in the last decade, playing competitive football across Europe. He has shown that truly form is temporary and class is permanent. The Columbia international was born in Santa Marta – the same city where one of the country’s best soccer players Carlos Valderrama was born. He was born into football, been named after Pulo Roberto Falcao and hearing of the great Valderrama growing up.
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Radamel Falcao was on target as Ligue 1 rivals AS Monaco and Olympique Marseille clashed. The game was expected to be a long drawn battle but Leonardo Jardim and his boys cruised to a very comfortable 6-1 victory.
Falcao bragged a brace, even as Monaco are set to be further depleted with the loss of Kylian Mbappe. Fabinho, who scored the sixth goal, could join the French youngster as they move to archrivals Paris St-Germain before the transfer deadline. (more…)
Premier League side Manchester City reportedly paid AS Monaco £52 million to officially make Benjamin Mendy the World’s Most Expensive Defender.
Apparently, the Columbian hitman and Mendy had a code they used to know when a cross was imminent. Mendy played a big part in Falcao getting the goals. The former Atletico Madrid striker netted 30 goals in 43 games – his best tally since leaving Vicente Calderon back in 2013.
Mendy was crucial to Monaco, helping them reach the last four of the Champions League. They won the league title and got to the final of the French Cup. His time at Marseille helped him trim his excesses and get ready for the high expectations at top level football. Marseille boss Marcelo ‘El Loco’ Bielsa groomed him, Leonardo Jardim added his touch at Monaco, now all’s left is for Pep Guardiola to use him to the team’s advantage.
Mendy has been one of the top rated defenders in France, he would face pressure when he tries to adjust to English football but Guardiola is confident that he would get the best from him. Hence, spending a record sum to bring him to the Etihad Stadium. His deal eclipses the sum paid to Spurs for Walker and what Chelsea received for David Luiz when the Brazilian moved to PSG in 2014.
Mendy joins Bernardo Silva, Ederson, Kyle Walker, and Danilo who have joined City this summer. He is the third full back to join after Guardiola cleared the former ones for younger legs.
AS Monaco Star Radamel Falcao is set to continue his resurgence at the Ligue 1 side next term following an impressive run this season.
He decided to return to his former club Monaco and it seems to be the best decision for his career. He was believed to be out after an explosive career run at Atletico Madrid but he led the Monaco side to the Ligue 1 title recently.
The Columbian striker played a huge role in ending PSG’s dominance. In Europe, the coach shocked many when he fielded Falcao in the Champions League qualifying game against Fenerbahce. As at then, Falcao has started just two games in the past year. In fact, between January 2014 and July 2016, he played 1,857 minutes and netted just five times.
Falcao scored in both legs and he has not looked back since. He added more goals in the Ligue 1, the French Cup, the League Cup and in the Champions League proper. When Monaco played Man City, the stats revealed showed Falcao scored 43 goals in 48 games – the fastest for any player even the fames Ronaldo-Messi pair.
His 21 goals was crucial to Monaco’s Ligue 1 title victory – only PSG’s Edinson Cavani and Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon bettered his tally. El Tigre found his form and it’s seems he would take it to next season.
The youthful Monaco side look up to him. His leadership qualities came to bear this term as he provided guidance to the youngsters. Columbian soccer loving fans tuned to watch their star player as he found his form again.
Radamel Falcao says that he sympathises the situation of Borussia Dortmund after the club were made to play just 24 hours after their team bus was attacked.
Falcao has been an important player for the club this season. After having two failed spells at Manchester United and Chelsea, he returned back to the French club. Since then, he has been on a roll and has managed to score 25 goals in 34 appearances this season.
His goals have been a major factor behind Monaco moving to the top of the French Ligue 1 ahead of Paris St Germain. Monaco are looking likely candidates for a French league title for the first time since the turn of the millennium. They have not won the league title since the 1999-2000 season.
“It was difficult to deal with everything that happened. We stayed very focused for two days for this game, the attacks perhaps changed the [Dortmund] players’ concentration. It’s difficult for the Dortmund players, a player was injured, but UEFA decided that we had to play,” said Falcao. Kylian Mbappe’s goal in the 19th minute was built upon by Sven Bender’s own goal in the 35th minute.Mbappe then scored either side of goals from OusmaneDembélé and Shinji Kagawa in order to give Monaco a crucial victory.
Former Paris St Germain youth team coach Vincent Guerin says that David Ngog choose to move to Liverpool at the wrong time in his career.
Hence, Ngog came to Anfield with a view of playing in the Champions League regularly and possibly competing for the league title. Despite being relatively young, Benitez started providingNgog with opportunities straightaway. He made 19 appearances in all competitions, but struggled in terms of goals after scoring just three.
Many expected his performances and goal return to improve substantially once he managed to settle at the club. In his second campaign, he scored eight goals in 37 appearances and there were rumours about Ngog being sold. The move finally came about in 2012 to Bolton, but since then he has played for Swansea and came back to France with Stade de Reims.
Now, he has secured a free transfer mode to Greek outfitPanionios.”I think David Ngog could have done better. He left too soon and too early for Liverpool, without playing much. It was a disadvantage for him.But it’s like that. There are choices to be made, you have to do the right ones.For David Ngog, that did not necessarily happen,” said Guerin, who was in charge of the PSG’s team when Ngog was just making his name at the French club. Now, 27, the player is unlikely to be a top European player Liverpool expected.
Gianluigi Donnarummasays that he will not commit with AC Milan until the club’s new owners prove themselves when it comes to running the club in the best possible fashion.
The agreement was signed back in August and the takeover is expected to be firmly completed within the next month or so. Even the club’s new owners have promised significant investment, Donnarumma is not ready to commit until the direction becomes clear. Ignazio Abate is confident that the club will be able to retain the highly rated shot stopper.
AC Milan have lost many top players over the years, and there is a real danger of losingDonnarumma as well. Abate, though, is confident will be able to bring back the former glory days under the new regime. Milan have already been linked with several new players last few weeks, and it is almost certain that they will make some headline making signing in the January transfer window.
“Honestly, I’m calm.The lad has always been a Milan fan, as he said, and he’s already at a top club. This club will come back to the top of world football sooner or later, and he will definitely stay and be a star in these colours,” said Abate about the future one of the club’s top rated young players.”We will have to see what will become of this Milan before we make our assessments,” said the player’s agent Raiola in a recent interview. Despite his age, the goalkeeper has already featured in 12 league games this season.
