The Strange Decline Of James Rodríguez

After every World Cup, there are a handful of players that have showed up and impressed us all. Many of whom will likely earn massive transfers away to major European giants. 2014 was no different.

The talk of the town that time around was James Rodríguez. However, things haven't exactly gone to plan for him since. Today, we talk about what happened.

Background music:

00:00 - Introduction
01:43 - The Rise Of James
04:20 - The boy is a star
07:29 - 2014 World Cup
10:26 - The fall of James Rodríguez

Producer: Tinashe Chipako
-------------------

[CharlyOmega]

Such a shame that most of the talents from 2010-2019 have fallen off, James, Hazard, Coutinho, Isco, so many world class players that have just flopped

[lukepierce]

As someone who stopped paying attention to soccer/ football since 2016 I had no idea what happened to James Rodriguez. So glad there’s a video to explain what I’ve missed

[coolio]

Its crazy this video popped up on my feed during his 2024 copa performance.

[christian-jnvb]

dude literally tore up Copa America... when he shows up its truely beautiful

[andresshorts]

Just broke the record for most assists in a copa America! My hero Arriba Colombia!!!

[lopezGaming]

As a Colombian, this is spot on.. You were a little generous at the end with him. The reality is that he is a massive talent but lazy and immature. When he wants, he still has the potential to be the best in the field, the issue is that he just doesn't care enough

[titorobot]

Hey, it would be interesting (And funny) if you talked about the Chilean National Team. How it managed to perform surprisingly well in 2014 World Cup, then won two Copas Américas, and now can’t manage to qualify for a World Cup

[charlestruppi]

When Ancelotti was coaching Napoli, he pushed hard to get James from Real. All the insider reports I have read is that James had no interest because he would have to take a pay cut as Napoli don’t have the revenue of Real or Everton (where Ancelotti went from Napoli). He was much more interested in extra $$ and sitting his ass on the bench than going to a team where he would have played a significant role for sure. So I don’t shed a tear for James. He’s gotten everything he’s deserved from soccer - fabulously rich, but a subpar career.

[pandaman]

James was just one of many players during that era who had a high peak that unfortunately didn't last too long. People like Falcao and Götze come to mind. But when they were at their peak they were a absolute joy to watch. Which is why I too will remember him fondly.

[federicobenavides]

getting this recommended as he gets the second best perfomance hes had on any tournament and about to play the biggest match of his career (having played no more than 61 matches for teams out of the elite in the past 3 years)

[mariosbardis]

As an Olympiacos fan, its good to have him on the team. He showcases talent that is nowhere to be found in a tiny football country like Greece, along with Marcelo. 2 days ago, he scored an amazing goal out of the box, and delivered one assist in a 5 0 victory. When celebrating his goal, he went to the fans and made a gesture like "keep talking" probably because the team suffered criticism after blowing a 2 0 away lead last game in an away match that ended 2 2, although I cant imagine anyone actually criticising James himself, as he has been performing amazing every single game. When the coach subbed him off in order to rest him for more important games (score was like 3 or 4 nil) he was visibly angry and slammed the bench. I think this match with the 1 goal 1 assist 1 angry celebration and 1 angry reaction to substitution pretty much sums up his character. Still he s an amazing player to have in the club, and definitely the best to have played in Greece for the past years.

[GIBBO]

He got rich, and stopped trying. He’s not the first, and he won’t be the last!

[sh]

You need to do "The Stranger Renaissance of James Rodriguez"

[AlexAnteroLammikko]

This is the kind of thing that makes you appreciated Messi and Ronaldo (yes, I know, every football topic becomes about them, apologies in advance) and how long they really have been able to stay at the top. Guys like James comes around every now and then, have that spark of brilliance, and then "fade away" into "obscurity" (really big relative term here, I am mainly a hockey fan and even our biggest stars are less known than James). Right now we have guys like Haaland and Mbappe touching at level of those two greats but the question isn't are they as good as them now but can they maintain that for season after season, tournament after tournament.

[xuamox]

At the 2024 Copa America James is the best player of the tournament and leading in assists. He is playing well and his coach, Nestor Lorenzo, is utilizing him perfectly. Hopefully this performance can help him revive his career at the club level as he is still an outstanding player and a joy to watch!

[jonathanpatino]

As a Colombian it’s sad to see his decline but always grateful for all the moments he gave us

[Harisankar-cevd]

James is another example which showcases the need to evolve one's game style if you want to stay relevant in the ever evolving football landscape. The likes of James, Juan Mata, and Mesut Ozil were best suited as a luxury number 10 or second striker in a fluid 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system. But very few if any teams have been using such systems since 2015 or 2016. The modern midfielder even if they're offensive minded, needs to press well, and do their bit in terms of tracking back as well as play in multiple positions and systems. One has to just just look at how David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Thomas Muller, etc changed their game and became much more complete players in recent years.
It's a harsh, but, undeniable reality, one needs to adapt and evolve with the passage of game.

[DJKnight]

and now hes performing in the current Copa America crazy

[MilkyWayy]

YES, finally a James Rodriguez video :D Thank you so much for this! I think James is so underrated as a football player..I actually really loved the era when Cristiano, Marcelo and James were playing for Real Madrid.

[LocrianDorian]

As an Olympiakos fan, I am absolutely delighted to have James in the club. He sure is a bit of a "diva", but with players of that caliber you really need some special treatment, otherwise it will just never work. Our current coach, Michel Gonzalez (of Real Madrid fame) has given him an oldschool number 10 role and he is delivering the goods. Honestly, this is what football is all about, the spectacle and having a great time at the end of the day, and James serves that in spades. I couldn't care less about "top flight" football, it's all budget flexing and boring.