Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, midfielder James Rodriguez, is likely to return to La Liga next season. Recently, the Colombian player received a compelling offer from Vallecano Club, sparking speculation about his next move.
James Rodriguez was once one of Real Madrid’s most expensive signings.
Midfielder James Rodriguez was once one of the most expensive contracts in the history of Real Madrid. Specifically, in the summer transfer market of 2014, the capital Madrid team spent nearly 75 million euros to bring the Colombian star to Bernabeu under a 6-year contract.
Rodriguez had 4 seasons dominating La Liga with Real Madrid, before being pushed to Bayern Munich on loan, and then drifting to many clubs from Asia to South America, most recently playing for Sao Paulo .
Rodriguez (left) used to be a “close friend” of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
In total, Rodriguez played 85 matches in La Liga. He scored 29 goals and directly “set the table” for his teammates to score 27 times. At Real Madrid, Rodriguez was especially compatible with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. To the point that when the Colombian was pushed to Bayern Munich, CR7 publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the “squeezing the lemon and throwing away the peel” working style of president Florentino Perez.
In recent days, there have been rumors that Rodriguez may return to La Liga. According to Spanish media, Rayo Vallecano have ambitions to recruit the Colombian international as a gift for the club’s centenary year. They have sent someone to approach Rodriguez’s representative.
Rodriguez received the “Best Player” award at Copa America 2024
Vallecano has the advantage of being the “bridge” for Radamel Falcao – Rodriguez’s former teammate in the national team. Remember in 2021, this team successfully signed a contract with the striker nicknamed “Tiger”. During his 3 years at Vallecas, Falcao left a deep impression and still maintains a very good relationship with Vallecano’s leadership. The Spanish team is asking Falcao to be the contact to help them connect with Rodriguez.
However, Vallecano will not easily achieve the goal of owning Rodriguez, even though he is a free agent. The 33-year-old midfielder’s brilliant performance with the Colombian national team at Copa America 2024 (1 goal, 6 assists) has made him sought after by many European teams in this summer’s transfer window. These include direct competitors with Vallecano such as Lazio, Celta Vigo…
Rodriguez wants to return to Europe
In an interview while competing at the Copa America 2024, Rodriguez shared that he feels he can still play top-level football in Europe, so he wants to return to play in one of the top 5 European leagues. Currently, the Colombian player is a free agent, after breaking his contract with Brazilian club Sao Paulo.
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