Colombian soccer superstar Radamel Falcao was declared the greatest signing by a Spanish club in the 21st century by Spanish sports news provider Marca.
The striker has scored 33 goals so far this season, since a $57.3 million transfer to Atletico Madrid in August 2011, equalling the goal tallies of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud Van Nistelrooy in their debut seasons in Spain.
In contrast to the pair, who both moved to perennial title contenders Real Madrid, Falcao has starred for a team sitting sixth in the league with only a slim chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
But, with three league matches and the Europa League final still left to play, “El Tigre” only needs one more goal to put his name in the record books.
In assessing the Colombian’s impact, Marca also compared him favorably to two other strikers held in high esteem at Atletico Madrid.
Uruguayan Diego Forlan scored 22 goals in his first season in Spain, while Argentinian Sergio Aguero only scored seven. According to Marca, these figures justify the club-record fee paid by Atletico to purchase Falcao from Portuguese club Porto.