Football nothing less than lottery: Falcao

Bhopal, Oct 15 (UNI) Columbian footballer Radamel Falcao Garcia Zarate believes that football is nothing less than a lottery where good luck can make someone a big star.

On the other hand, despite putting in everything, one may not make into the big league. Success of a player depends on many factors like luck, teams and injuries.

Born in Santa Marta, Columbia, in 1986, Falcao inherited football as a legacy. His father, Radmel, a professional footballer, baptized him with his name -- Radmel -- and Brazilian footballer Falcao, whom he admired.

Having established his recognition as Columbian striker in Argentina, Falcao dreams of playing for big club in Europe some day.

The State of World Population 2006 report has explored the life of the footballer and his experiences in its youth supplement 'Moving Ahead'.

Twenty-year-old Falcao's football journey began under the guidance of his father, who taught him, encouraged him and took him to games.

He joined a football club in Bagota at the age of 10 and soon caught the eye of his trainers.

''When I was eleven or twelve. I began to play for the city team first, then for the Colombian team. That's when I saw that I had to dedicate all of my time to this. I understood that I really had to live for football,'' he explains in the report.

The player still remembers that morning, in October 2005, when Argentina coach showed him the green signal to play match. His hunger for success earned two of the three goals to River Plate team, which won the match.

''The next day, all the newspapers were talking about the great new talent, about the guy that was going to put an end to his team's losing streak. In the next six games, Falcao scored five more goals. He was becoming a star,'' the report said.

For Falcao, it all looked unbelievable. In one afternoon, life changed for him and he could no longer move around freely because people started recognising him, while the team started nurturing hopes from him.

The footballer finds it's amazing that some players make fortune and people pay him to do what he likes doing: playing. Today, football players are models for many people. However, on November 22, 2005, everything seemed to go to pieces when Falcao's knee was seriously injured and he found he would not be able to play for many months.

Initially, he felt ''down in the dumps'' but later realised that these things happened for a reason: to help one to grow up and mature.

''I think that helped me to keep it together, to know that I should not take it so seriously: everything can vanish at any moment,'' the report quotes him as saying.

Realising the importance of education, he enrolled himself into journalism course in a university in Buenos Aires, where he is living with his parents in an apartment.

Millions of people across the world dream to become a football star in a bid to escape poverty but only a lucky few get a shot at professional career. Falcao is one of them.

Some years ago football players used to migrate when they were 18 or 20 but now it was common for them to leave their countries soon after they turn 12.

At the same time, a phrase ''football slavery'' has come into existence to describe exploitation of young players by unscrupulous agents and managers from developed countries.

However, voices were being raised for protection of human rights of these players.

UNI