Colombian footballer Radamel Falcao has made a name for himself not only in his home country of Colombia, but also on the European football scene. El Tigre, as he is nicknamed, has received a lot of accolades since the start of his professional career in 2005. His incredible success with the Europa League has earned him the title of ‘King of the Europa League’. Falcao is the only player to win back-to-back Europa League titles with two different teams. With 29 goals and counting for his national team, Falcao is the team’s top scorer.
Radamel Falcao’s Bio
Falcao was born Radamel Falcao García Zárate on February 10, 1986, in Santa Marta, Colombia. Son of professional footballer Radamel García, Falcao grew up watching his father. When Falcao was 5 years old, his father moved with him to Venezuela where he continued to play football as a defender.
In fact, Falcao’s father named him after AS Roma legend Paulo Roberto Falcão. It was discovered that Falcao had English roots. George King, a North Yorkshire native who emigrated to Colombia to work as an accountant, is one of his great-grandfathers.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Falcao started playing football at an early age. He started his career in 1999 playing with the Colombian football team Categoria Primera, Lanceros Boyacá.
Falcao joined Argentine club River Plate in 2005. After four years, he joined FC Porto in Portugal for a fee of around €4 million. Falcao greatly improved his value at Porto by winning a brace in the 2010/2011 season and becoming the first Colombian to win the Portuguese Ballon d’Or award.
His outstanding performance at Porto paved the way for interest from big teams. He picked Atletico Madrid to join them in August 2011, for a record transfer fee of €40m. After two seasons with the Spaniards, Falcao was on the move again, joining Monaco in May 2013 in a club-record €60m deal. However, an injury deprived him of playing time for a few months.
Falcao was then loaned out to Manchester United and then Chelsea before returning to Monaco in 2016. He led the team to the Ligue 1 trophy for the 2016/2017 season.
About his wife – Lorelei Taron
Many of the world’s star footballers have become notorious for their numerous escapades with women, mostly genetically blessed dubbed models. Falcao, however, is one of the few people who has managed to stay loyal to a woman over the years, a virtue that has a lot to do with his Christian faith.
His love affair with his Argentinian singer wife Lorelei Taron began in 2004 when he met her in a church in Argentina. At the time, Falcao was playing for Argentine professional club River Plate. During their first year together, Falcao made no advances to her. However, they grew closer afterward due to their many mutual friends.
Taron didn’t succumb to Falcao right away. The star player kept going until she gave in. Taron revealed how her mother helped her start a relationship with Falcao. After a period of acquaintance, Taron and Falcao went to the altar on December 13, 2007 in Buenos Aires. At the time, she was only 19 years old. However, it seems obvious that Taron, the teenager, knew exactly what she was getting into.
Lorelei Taron has fully supported her since husband in her career, defending him with every criticism and constantly moving with him whenever he changes teams. Asked by ONN magazine how she copes with the constant relocation, Taron replied that she always thinks every relocation is only temporary, so she tries to take full advantage of every new city.
Having children for Taron and Falcao did not happen immediately. The couple waited until August 2013 to welcome their first number, a daughter named Dominique García Tarón. Two years later, in February 2015, they welcomed another daughter, Désirée. They added a son in 2017.
Despite being a popular music star in Argentina, Falcao’s wife is very discreet and avoids the limelight as much as possible. Instead, she devotes her time to raising her children, praying, and studying the Bible.
Lorelei Taron has Argentinian nationality. She was born to German parents on June 17, 1988. She loved music and in 2016 she worked with her singer Alex Campos on her first album.
Falcao measures
According to his player profile on ESPN, here are the measurements of Radamel Falcao.
Height: 5 feet 9 inches (1.79m)
Weight: 75 kg (165 lbs)