James Rodríguez is proving the doubters wrong at Copa América

A few months ago I was in Colombia, where my friends and I chartered a boat to tour the beautiful Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir just outside of Medellín. There we enjoyed the near-Caribbean sun, deep blue waters, and sight of the stunning vacation homes that graced the reservoir’s banks in every direction – most notably a now destroyed former residence of Pablo Escobar.

Around the bend, we spotted a beautiful mega-mansion, and asked our captain whose house it was. “James Rodríguez’s,” he replied.

One of the non-soccer fans in our group responded, “Who’s that?”, to which another friend quipped, “some washed up footballer.” Ouch.

My friend’s words were harsh, but not far removed from how most of the world views the ex-Real Madrid star, who has faded into obscurity since being proclaimed the next big thing after bursting onto the scene at the 2014 World Cup.

But the thing is: James is only 32 years old, and this Copa América has set out to prove to the doubters just how wrong they all are. 🇨🇴 

Rise to superstardom

Born to an ex-footballer father, James grew up with the ball at his feet in the colonial city of Cúcuta. His talent was evident from an early age, and he made his professional debut at just 14 years old for second division club Envigado. James quickly rose through the ranks in South America, playing in Colombia for two seasons before signing with Argentine side Banfield, where he caught the attention of clubs in Europe.

At just 18 years old, he made the jump to Europe, signing a four-year contract with Porto for a transfer fee of €5.1 million. James’ development predictably continued in Portugal, with his smooth-as-silk left foot catching the attention of Europe’s top clubs.

In 2013, he signed with Monaco for a fee of €45 million, becoming the most expensive transfer in the history of Ligue 1. James enjoyed a stellar debut season with Monaco, being named to the league’s team of the season after leading all players with 13 assists. Yet, he remained relatively unknown outside of French and Portuguese circles – another promising South American talent who had yet to break through as a star on the global stage.

That all changed at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

World Cup breakthrough

Having received his first call-up to the Colombian national team after the 2011 Copa América, James made his first major international tournament debut at the World Cup. To say he was a sensation would be putting it lightly.

Wearing the number ten shirt, James led Colombia to their first-ever World Cup quarterfinals in heroic fashion. He finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, received three Man of the Match awards in five matches, and was named the best performing player in the group stage by FIFA.

Oh yeah, he also scored one of the most iconic goals of all time, winning the Puskás award with this stunning effort. 😍 

No longer was Colombia just known for big booties and cocaine. James singlehandedly elevated his country’s status as a regional soccer powerhouse, and Real Madrid took notice.

Los Blancos signed James to a six-year deal just days after Colombia fell to Brazil in the quarterfinals. The €75 million fee he fetched made him the fourth-most expensive transfer of all time and third-most expensive in Madrid’s history.

James had finally made it to the sport’s pinnacle, but it wasn’t all sol y rosas in the Spanish capital.

From Real Madrid to Al-Rayyan

At just 23 years old, James impressed in his debut season at the Bernabéu. While he has played a number of positions across his career, James was perhaps at his best as Madrid’s number ten, where he could pull the strings in the midfield and thread perfectly-weighted through balls through for speedsters like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

He finished his first season with 13 goals and 13 assists in the league, being named to La Liga Team of the Season. Then the injuries started coming.

• James missed seven games with a metatarsal fracture at the tail end of the 2014-15 season, and started the following campaign sidelined with a torn thigh.

• He returned to Madrid’s lineup in November, but failed to have the same impact as the prior season, finishing the campaign with just seven goals and eight assists.

By that point he had fallen out of favor with then-manager Zinidine Zidane, with the rest of his four-year tenure at Madrid plagued by ticky-tack injuries and extended spells on the bench. It was time for a change.

Real Madrid granted the Colombian’s request for a loan ahead of the 2017-18 season, and James was sent to Bayern Munich on a two-year deal. But, the reunion with former Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti did not go according to plan.

The fitness problems continued in Bavaria, and it gradually became apparent that the Spanish-speaking Rodríguez was not a culture fit at the club.

James finished his tenure at Bayern with only 15 goals and 20 assists in 67 appearances across all competitions. It was time for another change, this time reuniting with Ancelotti again at Everton.

His time at Merseyside was – you guessed it – marred by more injuries and inconsistent play, and by the time the COVID pandemic shut down the world in 2020, James had fallen off the face of the soccer world.

James has been a world traveler of sorts since last playing in Europe’s top leagues. He left Everton in 2021 to sign for Qatari side Al-Rayyan, for whom he made only 13 league appearances in two seasons. A one-season stint with Olympiacos in Greece followed, before the then 31-year-old signed with São Paulo.

You’d think a former Galactico who was heralded as the soccer’s world’s next big thing would play a key role for a “lowly” Brazilian side, but that’s not the case with James. He’s hardly sniffed the pitch in two seasons for the Paulistas, and the shocking thing is he’s only 32 years old.

But, James still plays a key role for Colombia, and is looking to show the doubters that he’s still got game at this summer’s Copa América.

Don’t call it a comeback

James made his 101st appearance for the national team in a 2-1 win over Paraguay in Colombia’s group stage opener last Monday. Many were shocked to see his name on Néstor Lorenzo’s team sheet headed into the tournament, but James’ performance fully justified the Argentine’s decision to name him to the team and include him in the starting XI.

James was back to his old self as Colombia’s number ten, pulling the strings in a masterful display of passing and Valderrama-esque vision to assist both goals.

He continued to impress in Colombia’s next group stage match against Costa Rica, providing another assist en route to a 3-0 win that secures qualification for Los Cafeteros in the quarter-finals. Just look at this through ball. 🔥 

While Colombia finished third in the 2021 Copa América, their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup marked for some fans the end of an era for the golden generation that burst onto the scene in 2014. But James is proving – one perfectly-weighted through ball at a time – that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

A matchup against Brazil on Tuesday will decide the fate of Group D. Regardless of the outcome, Colombia have a strong chance of winning their first Copa América since 2001, having already qualified for the knockout stages where they’ll face either Uruguay, Panama, or the United States.

But this is not just another tournament for Colombia, and it certainly isn’t for Rodríguez. He turns 33 two days before the final, and his time at the top is limited.

This Copa is a chance for him to make a lasting statement – to show the world why he was anointed as the “next big thing” a decade ago, and to find a top club that is willing to take his hand once this is all over.