Monaco striker Radamel Falcao says there is no truth in a bizarre story to have circulated about his age.
The Colombian joined Monaco earlier in the summer for £53million, with manager Claudio Ranieri recruiting a striker whose age was listed as 27. However, reports in the South American media had suggested the former Atletico Madrid man was actually two years older, something which if true would have altered the landscape of his big-money move.
Falcao has expressed his surprise at the stories, though, writing on his Twitter page: "I have been surprised with stories in the media about my age. They are totally ridiculous. I want to deny this and end this issue once and for all."
Falcao scored 52 league goals in the past two seasons for Atletico. He recently helped the club win the Copa del Rey, beating Real Madrid 2-1 on its crosstown rival's home soil. Despite expectations he would move to a major European club, Falcao joined Monaco from Atletico Madrid in an offseason deal worth an estimated 60 million euros ($78 million).
''I understand that this could have come as a surprise,'' the 27-year-old said when he was presented at a news conference earlier this month. ''It's a pity there's no European Cup, but that's how it is. But the aim is to win the title so that we can play in the Champions League next year.
''We have other motivations than Europe this season, we want to win all the competitions we're in and that's already enough. Many people may believe that this is a mistake, but I'm sure they will change their opinion once we have won titles.''
Owned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, Monaco won the second division title last season.
Monaco's recent spending spree has also brought in former Barcelona defender Eric Abidal, Porto pair James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho, Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho, and France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan, who joined from Malaga.
The Associated Press was used in this report.
