Colombia’s superstar Radamel Falcao was stretchered from the field this Wednesday after going down with a seemingly serious knee injury in a French Cup match between Monaco and Chasselay, according to the Associated Press.
The Colombian striker had scored Monaco’s first goal in the 29th minute of the game, before a reckless tackle from behind brought him down in the box shortly before half.
Holding his left knee, his face distorted with pain, he immediately called for medical attention, and was carried off the field by the training staff.
Speaking to reporters after the game, teammate Jeremy Toulalan seemed pessimistic about the striker’s outlook, saying, “we lost Radamel. It’s a blow to the future. I think it is very serious so these news are not very comforting.”
A Spanish newspaper is reporting a tear in Falcao’s anterior cruciate ligament — a prognoses which seems plausible given the replay, which shows Falcao’s knee buckling sideways under the defender’s challenge — while Radio Caracol in Colombia has quoted Falcao’s father as saying, “he will only be down for three months.”
The injury could represent a major blow for Monaco, currently second-place in the Ligue 1 standings, who now faces the prospect of chasing frontrunners Paris Saint Germain without their leading scorer. But Colombians will be looking forward to Brazil 2014, and the prospect of a World Cup without their country’s iconic player.
The injury comes just as Falcao was coming back to full form after being sidelined by a different injury. A statement released by Monaco indicates he will be brought in for further testing this week.