Millonarios FC confirmed on Monday, April 20, 2026, that forward Radamel Falcao Garcia suffered a fracture of the zygomatic arch (the bony structure that forms the cheekbone) during Sunday’s Liga BetPlay Matchday 17 defeat against America de Cali, forcing Colombia’s all-time top scorer off the field at halftime and into an ambulance transfer to Clinica Imbanaco in Cali for emergency imaging and specialist evaluation.
On the morning of April 20, the club published its official communiqué confirming the diagnosis: “After diagnostic exams and the attention of specialist physicians, doctors confirmed that the player presents a fracture of the zygomatic arch.” The communiqué added that specialists would define treatment within 48 hours after the acute phase of the injury passes, and recovery time would depend on the treatment required and the subsequent evolution of the fracture. The club did not announce a specific return date.
The collision and its immediate consequences
The incident occurred on minute 36 of the match at Estadio Pascual Guerrero, when Falcao and America de Cali defender Dany Rosero rose for an aerial duel and clashed heads, with the full force of the impact landing on the right side of Falcao’s face; the Millonarios medical team attended him immediately on the pitch, and despite the visible severity of the blow, the forward recovered enough to return to the field before the referee called halftime.
That temporary return proved short-lived, as Millonarios withdrew Falcao from the match during the break, transferred him by ambulance from Estadio Pascual Guerrero to Clínica Imbanaco in the city of Cali, and submitted him to imaging studies to establish the nature and extent of the facial trauma.
Millonarios coach Fabian Bustos acknowledged after the final whistle that the probability of a fracture was high, confirming what the images later established, namely a fracture in the zygomatic arch with potential implications for surgical intervention under evaluation by a maxillofacial specialist.
Millonarios lost the match 3-1, a result that left the Bogota club in a complicated position in the Liga BetPlay standings and compounded the weight of an already difficult evening with the injury to its captain.
A career built on coming back
Falcao, who turned 40 in February 2026, carries one of the most injury-tested careers in the history of Colombian football, beginning with the torn anterior cruciate ligament (the main stabilizing tendon in the knee) he suffered in December 2013 at Atlético de Madrid, a setback that ruled him out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and altered the trajectory of his peak years as a player yet did not end his career.
The cheekbone fracture marks his second confirmed injury at Millonarios in 2026 alone, following a mild hamstring strain diagnosed in February that kept him sidelined for several weeks, and it arrives at a moment when the significance of his return to Colombia carries a weight that extends beyond the sporting: Falcao came back to his home league specifically to play for Millonarios, the club he joined as a professional before his European career began, and every injury setback in that context draws national attention proportionate to that biographical arc.
Falcao’s 36 international goals remain unmatched by any Colombian footballer. His national team career ended years before his Liga BetPlay chapter began, but his health still carries symbolic weight across the country; that’s why Millonarios’ April 20 communiqué drew national attention. Whether surgery is needed will decide not only his return timeline but also whether, at 40, he can recover again and contribute to Millonarios’ campaign.