Colombia includes injured Falcao on 30-man preliminary World Cup roster
Radamel Falcao could complete a miraculous comeback from a torn ACL if he is named to Colombia's final World Cup roster. (Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
Radamel Falcao hasn't been ruled out of the World Cup just yet.
Five months after tearing his ACL, Falcao, whose doctors remained optimistic throughout his recovery process, has been named to Colombia's preliminary 30-man World Cup roster, keeping him in the picture for at least a few more weeks while he continues to battle the race against time.
In the immortal words of Dumb and Dumber's Lloyd Christmas: "So you're telling me there's a chance."
Falcao, one of the world's preeminent forwards, suffered the knee injury after a rash challenge in a domestic cup game with Monaco against a fourth-tier opponent in January. It was thought at the time that he was certain to miss the World Cup, with generous recovery time for torn ACL's set at six months, but manager Jose Pekerman isn't giving up hope before he has to. Colombia's final roster will be due on June 2.
In addition to Falcao, who rose to prominence with Atletico Madrid before joining Monaco's ambitious project last summer, Colombia boasts the likes of Falcao's Monaco teammate, James Rodriguez, Inter Milan's Freddy Guarin, Porto's Jackson Martinez and Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado. Former Philadelphia Union standouts Faryd Mondragon and Carlos Valdes are also among the 30.
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Even if Falcao makes the final cut, it remains to be seen how effective he can be given his lack of match time and fitness since January. His presence alone would strike fear in the hearts of his opponents, though. Los Cafeteros, who have their highest expectations since 1994, will face Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan in Group C.
Here is Colombia's roster in full:
GOALKEEPERS: David Ospina (Nice), Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali), Camilo Vargas (Santa Fe)
DEFENDERS: Mario Yepes (Atalanta), Aquivaldo Mosquera (Club America), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Carlos Valdes (San Lorenzo), Amaranto Perea (Cruz Azul), Eder Alvarez Balanta (River Plate), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Camilo Zuniga (Napoli), Pablo Armero (Napoli)
MIDFIELDERS: Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Fredy Guarin (Inter Milan), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Aldo Leao Ramirez (Morelia), Juan Fernando Quintero (Porto), Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari), James Rodriguez (Monaco), Macnelly Torres (Al Shabab), Juan Guilermo Cuadrado (Fiorentina), Edwin Valencia (Fluminense), Alexander Mejia (Nacional), Elkin Soto (Mainz)
FORWARDS: Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Carlos Bacca (Sevilla), Adrian Ramos (Hertha Berlin), Luis Fernando Muriel (Udinese), Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), Jackson Martinez (Porto)
