Millonarios announces the departure of Radamel Falcao after playing two tournaments without winning titles.

The dream come true for Millonarios and its fans has come to an end. Radamel Falcao García, their star player, has agreed to part ways with the team a year after his arrival to much fanfare. The Santa Marta forward, a national idol for his performances with the Colombian national team in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, is leaving the club he is a professed supporter of without winning a single title, despite being labeled as a favorite so often, and after scoring 11 goals—six in the last league season—in the 28 matches he played in the last year.

The Bogotá-based team itself announced Falcao's departure, news that had already been suspected after being eliminated in the semifinals by Independiente Santa Fe, its local rival and eventual champion . In a statement, Millonarios announced, without further details: "Radamel Falcao García has decided not to continue playing for the club." It then expressed its gratitude for Falcao's continued presence at the club. It also published a video summarizing the forward's time with the Blues.

Falcao's arrival at Millonarios was a momentous occasion. At 38, he decided to return to play in his native Colombia after a brilliant career in Europe filled with success, particularly at Porto and Atlético Madrid. After also playing for teams such as Chelsea, Manchester United, and Galatasaray, Falcao had his last European dance at Rayo Vallecano in Madrid. From there, he made the jump to the blue team , where he was welcomed by the fans, who filled El Campín Stadium in Bogotá, and treated him to a nightly drone and light show reserved for idols.

His performance in his first league title, in the second half of 2024, was less brilliant. Plagued by injuries, he managed to score only five goals in 16 matches. He led the team in the quadrangulars, but drew against Deportivo Pasto in the final game of that stage, a must-win to advance to the final. It was Atlético Nacional, one of his archrivals, who replaced him and became champions at the end of the year . That league, however, did allow Falcao to reach 347 goals as a professional and become the all-time Colombian scorer. His record, however, would soon be broken by Dayro Moreno, the also veteran Once Caldas striker, who currently leads the race.

On January 21, Millonarios announced that Falcao would not be joining the team in 2025. According to reports at the time, despite the club's financial offer, an agreement could not be reached to keep him in their jersey. The reason for the striker's departure, it was stated at the time, was the inability to "offset the tax effects of income and assets," that is, the impact on taxes of living in Colombia. Three days later, however, the player and the team announced they had reached an agreement to extend his contract for six months . Thanks to two Millonarios sponsors agreeing to pay the equivalent of the player's asset tax, the renewal, with the goal of gaining revenge and fighting for the title, became a reality.

In the round-robin phase of the 2025 Apertura tournament, Millonarios performed strongly and finished second in the standings, behind América de Cali. In the quadrangulars, the team ended up grouped with Independiente Santa Fe, Atlético Nacional, and Once Caldas, to battle it out for a spot in the final. On the final day, Millonarios faced Santa Fe. A draw or a win would have been enough to secure a place in the final, but they lost to their home crowd, which had packed El Campín. Falcao scored a free kick in stoppage time, not enough to prevent his team from being eliminated again.

After the game, Falcao exploded. Always known for his measured statements, this time El Tigre harshly criticized the referees and the press for, according to him, whistling against his team and plotting a "media plot," without considering that there were also plays, throughout the quadrangulars, that benefited the blue team. "About the first goal, there are doubts, but always throughout the tournament, let me say, even if they give me 50,000 matches [of suspension], I will never play in Colombia again, but always when there was doubt it was against us. […] And then they say they wanted to give the tournament to Radamel, what stupidity are they talking about. […] Since last tournament it was a media plot, 'Always in favor of Millonarios,' a lie, fuck it," said the striker.

Now, with a strained and tense atmosphere with the press, and with fans grateful for someone they already consider an idol despite having never won a single title, Falcao is stepping aside. What the future holds for his career remains unknown for now.