Often times, When we talk about young, vibrant and talented players, the story always appears a bit incomplete when some breed of players are excluded from the list. Also, when soccer analysts compare best left-footed football players, there are certain names I would expect to see, and one of them is James Rodriguez.
The fate of James after joining Madrid hasn't moved as many would have expected, especially those of us who watched him star for Columbia at the World Cup. However, it won't be out of place for someone to say that the presence of Christiano Ronaldo went a long way to overshadow his awesome talent at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But then, the Columbian young star have since moved to Germany to after Madrid considered him as perhaps a surplus in the team. The question that continues to beat my imagination is why James Rodriguez hasn't been able to hit the peak of his game and become the game changer at the Allianz Arena as people like me would have expected. With no Messi or Ronaldo to cover him in Germany, I thought the young star would grow to have a talismanic status in Bayern. However, recent events have shown that the incumbent Bayern coach Niko Kovac will have to think twice before signing James.
What actually spurred me to create this blog is the lackadaisical posture of Niko Kovac and The Bavaria club to enter into a permanent transfer deal with the Columbian at the end of the season. So am forced to wonder if James Rodriguez has been drained of his stuck or are the German champions about to make a grave mistake of not signing him permanently. This is a guy many top clubs in Europe will prostrate to have in their team, so why is he not considered as a big force in the Bayern team? Lots of mind troubling questions have continued to creep out of my head, maybe you can help address some.
With the return of Zidane as a Real Madrid's coach, it makes the whole drama a bit complicated for the Young star, as the possibility of him being featured by the French manager is very slim. Also considering the fact that Madrid is about hitting the market for "galacticos" to breathe in life into a fallen Madrid side, James may be left to warm the bench if he returns to the Bernabeu. No doubt, Rodriguez possesses a talent that is envied by many players in the world, but his complicated career and it's push & pulls have left the young star in the middle of the sea.
Rodriguez is just 27, full of youth and at his prime, but the mere colouration that no top team is interested in gunning for the young star beats my imagination. Caught in between Madrid and Bayern, and it seems non of the clubs is ready to procure his services beyond this season. It's almost five years now since James Rodriguez shook the foundation of world football after the 2014 World Cup, but his inability to move on to the top either in Madrid or Germany draws a big question mark on his forehead. Did he make a mistake by signing for Madrid or would he have opted for another club instead? Another question am yet to answer.
It's almost the end of James Rodriguez's two years loan at the Allianz Arena, a deal that was made in 2017 when the then Madrid coach Zidane made it obvious that he had no much need for the Columbian in his squad. Of course, it's no news that the European Champions have a culture of signing the big guys, so they lured the Columbian star from the market with a whooping £63 million after his sterling performance at the World Cup in Brazil. However, the buy out clause( £36m) that was included in the deal that saw him head to the Allianz Arena only shows how James Rodriguez's market value have fallen.
It seems James future in Bayern Munich at the mercies of Niko Kovac. In February, the Club President Uli Hoeness minced no words when he said “James' future depends on the coach; if [Niko Kovac] says he is good but doesn't use him on the field I am not going to spend €42m for someone who isn't playing, If the coach tells me that he needs him and plans to make use of his talents, then we will sign him.” The Columbian star haven't been able to win Kovac's confidence in the team, as he has been seen in and out of the first team for the past two years. He is not assured of a spot and that makes every game he plays a chance to impress Kovac.
However, at home in Columbia National team, Rodriguez remains one of the team's backbone and the fans have continued to show how much they love to see him in Columbian shirt. Their recent tour to Japan and South Korea says it all, as he has continuously been mobbed by Columbian fans who scramble just to have a glimpse of him. Over there in Germany or Spain, James would wish to have same status, but it keeps eluding him.
Do you think it's time for James Rodriguez to push a transfer to an English club, maybe Arsenal or Manchester United or any other top team, instead of allowing Madrid and Bayern treat him as an undervalued player? Would love to hear your thought on this.
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