PARIS // Falcao’s surgeon on Friday said “there is still hope” that Colombia’s stricken star striker could make it to the World Cup.

The Monaco forward himself compared his chances of recovering in time for Brazil “as the size of a grain of mustard”.

Falcao’s World Cup hopes appeared to go up in smoke in Wednesday’s French Cup tie against amateur side Chasseley.

As half-time approached he clashed with a Chasseley player – images of him being stretchered off with his head in his hands made front page news back home in Bogota.

He is set to undergo surgery this weekend in Portugal, with surgeon Dr Juan Carlos Noronha refusing to completely rule out his patient’s World Cup chances.

“Falcao is suffering from a torn left knee anterior cruciate ligament,” Noronha told Colombian radio station RCN.

“There’s only a slim chance he’ll make it to the World Cup in only five months, but there is a hope.

“A good recovery is essential.”

He added: “He’ll need two months for the new ligament to become resistant and we can only confirm that by an MRI scan.”

On Thursday, Falcao took to Twitter, declaring: “I’m holding on to the fact that I’ve got a chance the size of a grain of mustard of playing at the World Cup”.

His father, Radamel Garcia, told Fox television that “only a miracle [would allow] Falcao to play in Brazil.

“It’s an injury which lasts five or six months, and it’s not possible to speed up the recovery.”

Falcao’s importance to Colombia – who are drawn in Group C at the World Cup with Ivory Coast, Greece and Japan – is impossible to over-estimate as he has scored a third of their 27 qualifying goals.

“Today I’m only thinking about one thing -- world football has lost out,” his Monaco manager Claudio Ranieri lamented.