Radamel Falcao has revealed he joined Manchester United at the wrong time, citing the club's lost direction after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure and the appointment of Louis van Gaal as factors that marred his spell at Old Trafford.
The Colombian striker moved to United on the final day of the summer transfer window in 2014, joining on a season-long loan from Monaco alongside Daley Blind. Falcao had recently returned from an ACL injury at the time.
Despite his goalscoring record at Porto and Atletico Madrid, he scored just four goals in 29 games across all competitions for United. His lack of success did not stop Chelsea from taking him on loan the following summer, but he struggled with injury and played only 12 games, scoring once.
Falcao's criticism of Van Gaal
The 40-year-old opened up about his time at Old Trafford on former Atletico team-mate Mario Suarez's podcast, 'El camino de Mario', earlier this year. He said: "I arrived at the wrong time: Ferguson had just left and the club was adrift. They kept making mistakes. Van Gaal was there, which is complicated."
He added: "The good thing about him is that he tells you things to your face. He told me the truth. Or his version of it. I was a regular starter, I went off to play for the national team and came back, and he told me he wanted to change the system. 'I'm going to put Van Persie ahead of you,' he told me. I could see there were interests at play beyond simply choosing one player over another. Anyway, he ended up falling out with Van Persie and Robin left the club after that."
Admission of Chelsea interest
Despite joining Chelsea after leaving United, Falcao admitted he had wanted to move to west London years before it happened. Upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge, he told Chelsea TV: "I talked with Juan [Cuadrado] before I came to Chelsea but I had decided I would like to join Chelsea some years ago. The media talked about me and Chelsea and it was not possible but this summer finally I come."
He also said: "He [Ricardo Carvalho] spoke with me about the club and told me how big is Chelsea and that he had a very good time here. He enjoyed it a lot and he is grateful to the team. He is also a very good defender."
Claim of humiliation and later career
Falcao also claimed he was subject to "humiliation" under Van Gaal, explaining: "That's what I don't understand about him. He says that if someone isn't playing, they should go with the reserves, but if you're Radamel Falcao or Victor Valdés, spare yourself the humiliation, I think. As [Marcelo] Bielsa says, I had to swallow my pride and go play."
Since leaving Chelsea, Falcao returned to Monaco before joining Galatasaray in 2019. He left the Turkish club for Rayo Vallecano in 2021 and departed in 2024 for Colombian side Millonarios, where he currently plays.
