Ex-Bayern star on the sidelines again

Once a global star, World Cup sensation and a fixture at Real Madrid and FC Bayern – today James Rodríguez almost exclusively presses the bench. How the former superstar from Colombia ended up in twelfth place in La Liga and why he hardly plays there himself.

He was the shooting star and top scorer at the 2014 World Cup, played for Real Madrid and FC Bayern – now James Rodríguez is no longer even good enough for the twelfth place in the Spanish league.

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The 33-year-old has now landed at Rayo Vallecano after quite a transfer odyssey in recent years. The club, based in Vallecas, a district of Madrid, offered Rodríguez the opportunity to return to the place where his star would once really rise.

But then as now, the gifted left-footer has an extremely difficult time. The former Bayern star, who moved from FC Sao Paulo to Rayo in the summer, is hardly used for the Spanish first division club. The Colombian has only managed to play 136 minutes in La Liga so far. After 16 match days, there has been exactly one starting eleven appearance.

Due to the short playing times, there have been increasing rumors of changes to the offensive player for weeks. It’s a big topic – especially before the big duel against his former club Real Madrid on Saturday (9 p.m. in the LIVETICKER). Mark Rodríguez now speaks out on this topic for the first time and sends a clear message to his head coach Inigo Pérez.

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“Of course I want to play more, but I don’t make those decisions anymore. They are decisions that I cannot control. I take responsibility for my own actions, but whether I play or not… I don’t control that,” said the 33-year-old.

He will continue to give everything in training and off the pitch to be ready for a possible starting eleven at any time. However, he also knows that there will be few opportunities for him under Pérez’s leadership.

“In football there are preferences and maybe there are coaches who play a certain way and you don’t fit into their mold. And that is completely respectable,” stressed Rodríguez.

It seems somewhat absurd that the Colombian is hardly being used at the moment – he only made a big impression last summer.

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As captain, he led his country to the final of the Copa América, leaving Brazil behind in the group stage and Uruguay being eliminated in the semi-finals. The final was only lost 0-1 in extra time against Lionel Messi and Co.

Rodríguez contributed six assists and one goal to the success and was consequently voted player of the tournament. Afterwards he went to Rayo on a free transfer – and there, above all, to the bench.

When asked about the alleged transfer rumors about an early departure from Madrid, James made it clear: “I’m someone who lives day by day, I’m not someone who talks a lot about the future. I want to continue training day after day so I can play more. And if not, I want to look for another avenue to play.”

Julián Capera, Colombian journalist ESPNbut doesn’t see the blame entirely on Rayo Vallecano’s head coach. “If this is happening with so many clubs and coaches, James is probably the one creating this scenario. There are coaches with whom he did not have a good relationship, like Rafa Benítez, who coached him in Madrid and Everton. In addition, he found it difficult to adapt to the group dynamics.”

In fact, the career story of James Rodríguez is one of a meteoric rise – which was later followed by a brutal crash.

After three years at FC Porto and a season at AS Monaco, the attacking midfielder delivered his masterpiece at the 2014 World Cup. Not only did he win the Golden Shoe with six goals, after his 30-meter volley in the round of 16 against Uruguay, a global star was born.

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Real promptly brought him in for around 80 million euros, and initially the plan with the then 23-year-old international star worked. James shone under coach Carlo Ancelotti with an outstanding 35 scorer points across all competitions. It just didn’t work with big titles, and so his great sponsor Ancelotti had to leave.

A gradual decline began. At Real he slipped significantly down the hierarchy under Benítez and Zinédine Zidane. Both coaches opted for a 4-3-3 without tens. James couldn’t cope with his new role as one of many.

He was considered a player who needed some special treatment. On the training pitch he was sometimes accused of a lack of willingness to suffer; off the pitch, it was reported that he enjoyed Madrid’s nightlife.

James wanted to get out of Madrid and start over. Luckily for him, his former sponsor Ancelotti had just joined FC Bayern. And so the playmaker moved to the German record champions on loan for two years in 2017.

The then 26-year-old got off to a promising start in Munich and scored 22 points in his first season. But James was just one of many in Munich. He was never able to establish himself as an undisputed regular player. After only 13 scorer points in the second year, Bayern decided against a permanent commitment.

Back in Madrid, James’ situation deteriorated even further. While he had played at least occasionally in Munich, he was almost left out at Real and seemed like a foreign body.

And so Ancelotti had to serve again in 2020. He now trained the English middle class club FC Everton.

In England, things initially went great for the affectionate James. Together with Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, he performed magic in the first games on the island. The Toffees even briefly saluted from the top of the table. James was involved in five goals in his first five games.

But then his story (of suffering) of the past few years repeated itself. He developed small physical problems, had fitness deficits, was no longer an undisputed regular player and ultimately stood out more through stories off the pitch than through shining on the green.

After Ancelotti turned his back on Everton at the end of the season and hired Benítez, of all people, as the new coach, under whom James had already fallen out of favor at Real, it became apparent that the Colombian’s time in Liverpool could end after just one year.

That’s how it happened: He no longer played a role under the Spaniard at the beginning of the 2021/22 season and fled to Qatar at the end of September. “James prefers money and a comfortable life,” he was then sharply criticized by Benítez. “That is more important to him than competition and success in football.”

But despite the money, James wasn’t happy in Qatar either and returned to Europe just a year later, where he ended up in Greece at Olympiakos Piraeus, but this intermezzo was also not successful and ended with the early termination of his contract.

After a season at Sao Paolo with a cup and a Super Cup, he recommended himself to Rayo – where he doesn’t play again. And now?

The former Bayern star, who is still only 33 years old, is at least not thinking about ending his career yet. “How long I play also depends on which club I play for and how much I want to continue.”