'Man Utd are the biggest team – my son turned down Arsenal and Liverpool for them'

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Radamel Falcao rejected Arsenal , Liverpool and Manchester City in order to sign for Manchester United . It was in 2014 when the striker became the latest big name to sign for the Red Devils, and it was a decision he made on deadline day.

According to the Colombian's father, Falcao considered United the most important club in England and was prepared to turn down offers from their biggest rivals in order to call the Theatre of Dreams home.

The striker first emerged on the world stage with Porto before his time with Atletico Madrid saw him become regarded as one of Europe's most potent strikers. A record of 70 goals in 91 games in Spain saw Falcao lead Diego Simeone's side to back-to-back Europa League titles in 2011 and 2012.

After netting 34 goals in his second and final season in Madrid, he signed for Monaco for a reported £50million but suffered a devastating knee injury six months into his career in the principality.

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Upon his return from injury the following summer, a loan move to United was triggered, giving United the option to make the transfer permanent for a reported £43.5m. United, then led by Louis van Gaal, were said to have beaten several of their domestic rivals to Falcao's signature.

Radamel Garcia, Falcao's father and a former footballer who represented Colombia and played at the 1980 Summer Olympics, listed the clubs his son rejected in order to join United. "Manchester United is the most important team in England and one of the most powerful financially," he said on Colombian radio.

" Juventus , Manchester City, Liverpool also approached him and Arsenal at the last minute. Fortunately, he ended up at Manchester United, a great team that he has to lead forward."

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Days before Falcao inked a deal with Old Trafford, he sparked rumours of a cross-city move to Real Madrid after posting on social media: "Hala Madrid." The apparent angling of a move to the Santiago Bernabeu broke down with his father revealing why.

He explained: "Things did not happen with Real Madrid because if you have money and you go to the shops to buy a shirt or trousers, you have to decide if you buy it or not. So Real Madrid opted not to do it, and you can't do anything about that. Apart from that, I don't know, I have a feeling they wanted the player to offer himself as a gift with a number of conditions and things like that.

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"It didn't happen because, as I said, they decided to buy the trousers and the shirt they wanted, and they considered what was better for them, and you have to accept that because they are the ones who pay the money. Thank God, everything happened with Manchester United."

Despite the reputation he built in Spain and France, 'El Tigre' never quite clicked in England. In his sole season at Old Trafford, he managed just four goals in 29 games across all competitions.

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After returning to parent club Monaco, he was subsequently sent back on loan to the Premier League , this time at Chelsea . However, Falcao's fortunes in the English top flight failed to improve, as he scored just one goal in 12 games before a serious thigh injury ended his season early.