It’s hard to put the finger on the exact reason that makes the emergence of  Falaco and his climb in the football social ladder, becoming the world’s best and most talked about striker at the moment. It’s beyond his incredible scoring rate; maybe it has to do with the fact that he plays for Atletico Madrid and Colombia.

At 26, he’s only 10 goals away from becoming the national side’s top scorer of all time. After his brace against Paraguay, he’s at 5 goals in the current qualifiers, leading Colombia to the third place at the moment, one point behind table leaders Argentina.

And more than anyone on the planet, besides the usual two everyone likes to talk about and compare, Falcao is in great form. Atletico Madrid are joint league leaders in Spain, because Falcao can’t stop scoring. He has 8 league goals in six matches, 11 goals in 7 matches with his club, 15 goals including his production for the national team.

And being the alternative always helps. Not just what he brings to the table, like his hat trick in the European Super Cup against Monaco, but how and who he brings it to the table with. While Falcao delivered impressive numbers while playing for Porto and winning the Europa Leauge, things get a bit more of attention when they happen for a La Liga team, especially one desperate for success and spotlight time like Atletico Madrid.

A Europa League title last year, and this year maybe actual contention for the league title. So far the plan is working, and Falcao is getting all the love and praise in the world because of his goals, and because he’s playing for a team representing a change that keeps getting held up for financial reasons, not allowing a fair kind of competition in Spain. A rare talent like Falcao might be able to help Atletico, at least for the short run, leap over that hurdle.

And it’s no different with the national side. People still remember the Colombia side of the 1990’s very fondly, but despite the talent in the nation, they haven’t been to a World Cup since 1998, not finishing above sixth in the previous qualifying campaigns. Maybe it’s easier without Brazil, but there’s also an emergence of talent – James Rodriguez, Jackson Martinez, Fredy Guarin and above all, Falcao.

For once, it can be talked about the best player in the world without mentioning anyone from one of the super powers or financial powers in the continent. No Messi, Ronaldo, Zlatan, Rooney. No one from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. Just a super striker (73 goals in his last 91 matches) playing for an underachieving (not anymore) club and national team – the official refreshment of global football.

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