James Rodríguez

James Rodríguez

James David Rodríguez Rubio (; born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Everton and the Colombia national team. In 2014, he moved from AS Monaco to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of £63 million. In 2017, he signed for German club Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal. He played in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, winning the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer in the former tournament.

About James Rodríguez in brief

Summary James RodríguezJames David Rodríguez Rubio (; born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Everton and the Colombia national team. He started his career at Envigado and then moved to Argentina side Banfield. In 2014, he moved from AS Monaco to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of £63 million. In 2017, he signed for German club Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal. He has been praised for his technique, vision and playmaking skills. He is often referred as the successor to his compatriot Carlos Valderrama. He played in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, winning the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer in the former tournament and being included in the Cup’s All Star Team. He also represented his nation at the 2015 Copa América, the Copa américa Centenario in 2016, and the 2019 CopaAmérica. He was born in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia, but grew up in Ibagué, Tolima. He became the second youngest Colombian player to start a professional match, playing his first match on 21 May 2006, at the age of 14. In 2008, he was signed by Argentine team Banfield and made his first team debut on 7 February 2009, and scored his first goal for the club on 27 February with a long range strike in a 3–1 victory over Rosario Central. He finished his first season with a goal in 11 appearances. In 2009, he became a regular first-team player, featuring in every game of the Apertura 2009.

In December 2009, Italian club Udinese planned to make a bid for James for a reported €5 million after the 2010 Copa Libertadores. However, Banfield rejected the bid, labelling it as ‘insufficient’. On 10 February 2010, James scored his second goal for Banfield, in a 2–1 home victory over Mexican club Monarcas Morelia. On 29 April 2010, he netted another goal in the first leg of the first match of CopaLibertadore Round 16, which ended in a 0–2 defeat against Brazilian club Internacional. This brought his goal tally to five goals in seven games, which brought his international tally to seven goals. In his debut season, James was named in the La Liga Team of the Season and won La Liga Best Midfielder. James added to his glowing reputation a week later with a goalscoring spree against Deportivo Cuenca away from home, scoring the fourth goal of the game with a nice finish on his left foot. His brace in the home match against Nacacional brought his tally to four goals in the group game on 10 March 2010, with a diving header and then the penalty spot on his right foot. The 18-year-old scored another goal on 29 April2010 in the second leg of CopA Libertador Round 16. He won the 2011 Toulon Tournament and captained the U-20 team during the 2011 FIFA U- 20 World Cup.