James Rodriguez made a memorable affect on the 2014 FIFA World Cup at simply 23 years previous, attracting curiosity from a few of Europe’s greatest golf equipment. Now rediscovering his type at Membership Leon, the Colombian star has revealed why he finally selected Actual Madrid over presents from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester Metropolis.
In the course of the 2013-14 season, James established himself as one in every of AS Monaco’s standout gamers in France. Nevertheless, it was his dazzling World Cup marketing campaign that really put him on the map. Regardless of Colombia’s quarterfinal exit towards Brazil, James completed because the match’s prime scorer with six targets in 5 video games — one in every of them incomes him the celebrated Puskas Award.
In a dialog with Edu Aguirre on the Spanish program Los amigos de Edu, James revealed how his agent knowledgeable him about Actual Madrid’s curiosity throughout the World Cup: “Within the second or third match of the World Cup, (Jorge) Mendes instructed me that Madrid needed me however they had been afraid it’d distract me. I stated, ‘What?’ after which I scored one objective towards Japan and two towards Uruguay — it was the other. I performed even higher.”
The midfielder additionally revealed how Actual Madrid president Florentino Perez performed a pivotal position in his choice. “Metropolis and PSG supplied some huge cash for me, however Florentino referred to as and stated to me: ‘Would you like glory or cash?‘ I answered, ‘Glory.’ Then he instructed me, ‘It’s carried out then,’” he recalled.
“I’ve all the time been a Madridista. Not even when Barça had referred to as me in 2014… Madrid is Madrid, man,” he added. James spent three seasons with the Spanish giants, profitable 9 titles, together with two UEFA Champions League trophies.
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James displays on his greatest coaches
At 33 years previous, James Rodriguez has labored with quite a few prime managers all through his profession, however he credit two coaches particularly for making the best affect. When requested about Zinedine Zidane’s success, James pointed to the Frenchman’s distinctive man-management expertise: “Why did Zidane succeed? It had loads to do with how he managed the group. In a group like that, if in case you have that, that’s it.”
He additionally drew comparisons to Carlo Ancelotti, whom he considers the perfect coach he’s labored with. “It’s like Ancelotti, the identical factor — why does everybody carry out properly with him? Kaka, Ballon d’Or winner, Maldini, Cristiano, me, Vinicius, Rodrygo… Nobody speaks badly about him. Carlo is spectacular, for me the perfect on this planet, right here, at Bayern, or at Everton,” he emphasised.
Having labored with Ancelotti at Actual Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Everton, James revealed years in the past that the Italian coach performed a key position in convincing him to hitch the Premier League aspect.