Man Utd striker helps teenager find a donor for a heart transplant

Falcao helped the 17-year-old. Credit: PA

Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao has helped a teenager in Colombia find a donor for a heart transplant.

John Andres Uyaban has been on the waiting list for two years when the news was brought to the attention of Falcao by relatives in his native Colombia.

The striker then posted a Facebook message that read: "Help us get a new heart for John Andres, a 17-year-old kid with all the desire to keep fighting.”

Uyaban's mother confirmed the news to the Efe news agency that ten days later the 17-year-old received another young man's heart who had died in an accident.

"I give thanks to God and Falcao – he’s related to some cousins of mine who talked first to his father (Radamel Garcia) seeking his help in this effort," Uyaban's mother Sara Fernandez told Efe.

Uyaban had the operation last week and is now recuperating at the Bucaramanga Cardiovascular Foundation in Colombia.

“They’re going to perform another small surgery and we hope it’s not complicated," added Fernandez.

“I always had that hope that Falcao would help us because he’s a public figure. Everyone listens to him and he’s also very humble and really believes in God."

Fernandez confirmed she hadn't spoken to Falcao directly because he was busy training at Manchester United.