Wednesday July 27 will not be just any old day for Radamel Falcao. The Monaco striker will make an eagerly anticipated return to European club football when the Ligue 1 club take on Fenerbahçe in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

After two seasons in England plagued by injuries and loss of form, Falcao has been in scintillating form for Monaco in pre-season, hitting five goals – the same number he managed in total during his two campaigns in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea, on loan from the principality.

Falcao has not played a competitive minute of football since April 9, when he came on for 14 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Swansea.

The first leg encounter in Turkey will represent Falcao’s first taste of continental club football since February 21, 2013, when he scored the only goal of the game in the Europa League round of 32 against Rubin Kazan. That strike was not enough to send Atlético through to the next round after the side’s 2-0 defeat in the Calderón and Falcao has not graced the European stage since.

After a serious knee injury curtailed his career and his sojourn in England failed to reignite it, Falcao finally seems to be back in business at Monaco.