- James Rodriguez gained worldwide recognition after his heroics at the 2014 World Cup
- The Colombian set a new Copa America record with six assists this tournament
- His team was eventually defeated in extra time by Argentina in the final in July
James Rodriguez has reportedly left Brazilian club Sao Paulo 11 months before the end of his contract and is hoping to return to Europe.
The Colombian legend was one of the surprises at the recent Copa America, leading his team to the final, only to lose in extra time to tournament winners Argentina.
Rodriguez, who is known for his performances in international tournaments for Colombia, set a new Copa America record with six assists throughout the competition, leading his team to their first title since 2001.
However, the surprise came mainly from the fact that he had struggled to play regularly and stay in shape at Sao Paulo since arriving in Brazil last July.
In the 15 months that followed he played just 22 games, but according to South American journalist German Garcia Grova he is now ready for a new challenge.
James Rodriguez is said to have ended his time at Sao Paulo after just 12 months in Brazil
The 33-year-old is reportedly eyeing a return to Europe after another brilliant international run
Rodriguez played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but struggled to get regular playing time and show his form for Colombia at club level.
After his sensational 2014 World Cup, in which he scored one of the most beautiful goals in the tournament’s history, he earned an expensive transfer from AS Monaco to Real for £62 million.
He would make 125 appearances, but only 94 as a starter, during his six-year spell at Los Blancos, which included several loan spells.
However, since Rodriguez spent two years on loan at Bayern Munich (2017-2019), he has moved around regularly, playing for Everton, Qatar’s Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos and most recently Sao Paulo in four years.
In Al-Rayyan, he admitted that he felt “scared” because he had difficulty adapting to the culture.
“Life and culture in Qatar are very difficult. It was a country where it was difficult to adapt,” Rodriguez said on Brazilian TV channel Globo.
‘You know in football everyone showers naked, but my teammates said to me: “That’s not possible”. I was scared.’
He added: ‘Everyone there eats with their hands, which was difficult for me. They shared it with me and I said, “No thanks”. I asked for cutlery and they said, “No, with your hand” and I replied, “You’re crazy, I don’t eat with my hand”.
Rodriguez joined Real Madrid for £62million after his stunning World Cup triumph in 2014
He left Al-Rayyan in 2022 after admitting he felt ‘scared’ and struggled to adapt to life in Qatar
The Colombian would only play for Olympiacos for seven months before tearing up his contract
The Colombian playmaker was also told to eat with his right hand instead of his left for personal hygiene reasons, again making him feel uncomfortable and asking for cutlery.
After experiencing these problems, Rodriguez decided to move to Greek club Olympiacos in September 2022.
However, it seemed that, as seems to be a recurring problem for the Colombian maestro, he could not really settle in Greece. In seven months he made 23 appearances for Olympiacos in all competitions.
Rodriguez left Olympiacos in April 2023, after his contract was terminated for the second time in as many transfers.