At 33, after a successful Copa América with Colombia, James Rodriguez left São Paulo to make his comeback in La Liga. Recruited by Rayo Vallecano, the attacking midfielder aroused enormous expectations for his comeback in Madrid. But very quickly, things got worse for the former Real Madrid resident. Forced to settle for a few crumbs in terms of playing time, the Colombian saw the Spanish press describe his return to Europe as a fiasco last October.
James plays very little
Since then, the situation has not changed. James Rodriguez has remained on the bench for the last three La Liga matches and he has only 7 appearances and 1 assist on the clock. For some observers, the reason for this situation is simple: James is a player wanted by the president and not by the coach. And he’s not cut out to play on a team that’s fighting for survival.
“Rayo is made to play maintenance and for that it has players who are tough, who score, who run, who fight… and James is the one who has the good pass, the one who has the spark, it is why he doesn’t belong”Colombian journalist Omar Sánchez told Marca. Since then, the daily has been able to speak with the main person concerned. And the former Monegasque can only helplessly observe these decisions about which he can do nothing.
Powerless in the face of Pérez’s choices
“These are decisions I don’t make, things I can’t control. I take responsibility, but playing or not… I don’t control them. My mission is to train well, to be physically good every day, as I am now and as I showed in the matches with Colombia. There, if I’m not physically well, I won’t play. That’s why I try to take care of myself. I try to train well to be ready if I have to play”he declared, before continuing.
“There are tastes and maybe coaches who play a certain way and you don’t fit their pattern. And that’s completely respectable. I’m almost 34 years old and I’m more mature in my career. I know where to run, where to ask for the ball, where to create space. In the national team, everything is easier for me, because I have players alongside me who play very well, who want to play well like me. For me, it’s a lot easier when you have players next to you who play the same way as you. Colombia plays beautiful football. Since Néstor Lorenzo took charge of the team, we have been playing good football and it shows. I am important in his scheme. » But not in that of Iñigo Pérez.
