MOSCOW -- In 2014, Colombia had only one thing missing. They had the breakout star of the World Cup in the form of a blissfully expressive James Rodriguez. They had a free-flowing, attack-minded side that could hardly stop scoring in the group stage. They also had some of the tournament's loudest, most colourful fans and a genuine belief that, on their home continent, they could ride the wave and at least reach the last four for the first time.
All they lacked was Radamel Falcao. Such were James' heroics and the honour they displayed in their quarterfinal defeat to Brazil that their biggest pre-tournament storyline almost went forgotten.
At the age of 28, it should have been the World Cup at which Falcao, possibly the best centre-forward in Europe in the two years prior, confirmed his status on a global level. But disaster struck when an ACL injury six months before the tournament killed that dream; it also appeared to have guaranteed he would never grace football's biggest stage in his prime.
World Cup 2018 must-reads
- Make your daily picks with ESPN FC Match Predictor 2018!
- Who is going through? Round of 16 permutations and scenarios
- World Cup Daily live: Follow all the action on and off the pitch today
- World Cup fixtures, results and coverage
- No one does World Cup madness quite like Argentina
- VAR controversy at World Cup shows system needs tweaking
- Do England's young World Cup stars have the potential to be a 'golden generation'?
That is why there was something so gratifying, so heartwarming and so tender about the sight of Falcao caressing a delightful finish past Wojciech Szczesny to effectively confirm a vital Group H win over Poland on Sunday. He wheeled away in emotional celebration and the moment was bittersweet in that, with a striker in this kind of form, Colombia could have been capable of doing anything in Brazil. Yet the overriding feeling was of excitement and possibility for what player and team can achieve now.
"I've battled and worked for this for so long," said Falcao in an interview last year. He was desperate not to join the list of stars who have never appeared at a World Cup. It has been a long road back and during that torrid couple of years with Manchester United and Chelsea after his injury, when he was clearly not fit and was mocked for scoring just five times in 46 Premier League games, the obvious conclusion was that the good memories would never be bettered.
What a turnaround it has been since then, starting with his revitalisation in that wonderful Monaco side of 2016-17 and, should he inspire Colombia to a deep run this summer, perhaps reaching an apex in Russia.
For that to happen, there is plenty of work yet to do: They face a lively Senegal team in Samara on Thursday and need to win if they are to be sure of qualifying from Group H. There is still the nagging feeling that Carlos Sanchez's early red card in the matchday one defeat to Japan, which left them hamstrung throughout a game they would have been fancied to win with 11 men, might cost the most talented side in the quartet.
Colombia's coach, Jose Pekerman, termed this a "decisive match" in his pre-match news conference, and the only thing that can confidently be said is that one of the group's two best teams may well be going home unpalatably early.
"Our morale is high and I think we need to be optimistic," said Pekerman. "It's going to be an intense football match, really competitive."
On occasions like these you need gladiators and, for the way in which he has come out on top in the biggest battle of his career, Falcao fits that role. He is one of those unusual footballers: a player about whom nobody really has a bad word to say, a talismanic figure with a clean-living lifestyle who unites Colombians across every spectrum and is held in fond esteem by followers outside his home country too.
Falcao is deeply religious -- "My best goal was to meet Jesus," he once said -- and attributes much of his good fortune to strength provided from above. However his recovery has come about, it is testament most of all to the dedication of a player who refused to let a lifelong ambition die.
"My first goal in a World Cup, the dream has come true," Falcao wrote on social media after that delectable stroke of technique against Poland. He has already created one of this summer's feel-good stories, but if he can help Colombia down Senegal, the signs will look promising that he can lead them into uncharted territory even if it comes four years later than most had expected.