RANCAGUA, CHILE // Radamel Falcao on Saturday dismissed talk of a slump as he insisted his faltering year at Manchester United had made him a more “complete” footballer.
“Falcao was always there,” the new Colombian captain told a news conference when asked about a season on loan in which he scored just four Premier League goals in 29 appearances for Louis van Gaal’s side.
“It depends what criteria you are using,” Falcao said on the eve of Colombia’s opening Copa America match, against Venezuela on Sunday.
“People said I was not on the field and not scoring goals,” he said. “Falcao was always there.
“The speculation is not true. I am calm. Today Falcao is a more complete player.”
Read more:
– Falcao goes from Manchester United flop, Chelsea transfer target to Colombia captain for Copa America
– Radamel Falcao heroics, Chelsea triumph: The last five Europa League finals
Manchester United have sent Falcao back to Monaco, but British media say he could remain in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Falcao is looking to bounce back from his Manchester blues, and missing last year’s World Cup through injury, by impressing at the Copa America.
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has kept faith with the striker by giving him the captain’s armband after the retirement of the veteran Mario Yepes.
“We must always trust him,” Pekerman said. “He has always overcome difficulties to have success.”
Colombia won the Copa in 2001 and after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in Brazil behind James Rodriguez’s goals believe that success can be theirs again.
“It would be great to repeat the experience of what we did at the World Cup,” Falcao said.
“This team has grown a lot in recent years. It is a team that knows it can win and is the equal of any other side and has no complex against the big countries.”
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
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Funding: Privately funded
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
