Harry Watkinson
James Rodriguez: Worth a punt or a waste of money?
Two-time Champions League winner James Rodriguez recently said he wants to leave Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan so he can once again compete in Europe, but this time, clubs don’t seem to be queuing up for his signature.
Rodriguez is technically gifted but his dodgy injury record and £10.3 million per year pay cheque makes him a big risk, so you’d think he’d have to take a considerable pay cut to return to a topflight European side.
This article breaks down his stats from his past five seasons so you can see if the 30-year-old is still worth the big bucks.
Al Rayyan (2021-22)
James joined the Qatari side after being ousted from Everton at the beginning of the 2021-22 season by Rafa Benitez. Part of the reason was to get his high wages off the books, but it’s fair to say a lot of Evertonians were disappointed to see the Colombian leave.
In his first and potentially last season at Al Rayyan, he made 12 appearances, contributing four goals and seven assists, which is a pretty good return in fairness. But that is hardly surprising given he was playing at a level far below what he’s been used to in his career.
It was also a campaign that was disrupted by injuries and if reports are to be believed – some attitude problems too. He was sent off in one of his first matches for Al Rayyan for a heated argument with a referee and his frustration seems to have been apparent for most of the season, which saw him dropped from the Colombian national team before the Copa America in 2021, but he claimed Colombia’s manager had “disrespected him.”
While his performances showed quality far above what the Qatar Stars League is used to, you would expect more maturity from a senior player on over £10 million a year.
Played: 12
Assists: 7
Goals: 4
Minutes played: 1612’
Goal contributions per game: 0.92
Missed matches: 10
Everton (2020-21)
It’s fair to say when James Rodriguez joined Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton in 2020 there was a LOT of excitement in the blue half of Merseyside. Evertonians still class him as one of the most technically gifted players to feature for the club and he did show his quality for the Toffees at times.
He made 15 goal contributions during the campaign, including a vital assist in a historic victory against Liverpool at Anfield (Everton’s first win there since 1999) and a goal against Manchester United, too. Averaging 0.58 goal contributions per game is a good return for his first and so far, only Premier League season.
But he was also injured a lot of the time. He missed 22 games due to a combination of injuries and COVID-19 quarantines. In one instance, James decided to take a weekend away in Ibiza in the middle of the season where he was spotted by the press lounging on a yacht. When he returned to England, he then had to isolate for two weeks, meaning he missed several matches.
Evertonians are now divided over whether they would take Rodriguez back at Goodison Park. They never saw him play live due to the Covid disruption, so that was disappointing. Then again, is missing 22 games good enough when at the time they were paying him £250,000 per week, the highest wages in the club’s history? Most would say not.
Played: 26
Assists: 9
Goals: 6
Minutes played: 2,046’
Goal contributions per game: 0.58
Missed matches: 22
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Real Madrid (2019-20)
Rodriguez’s season at Madrid in 2019-20 got off to a particularly bad start after he was denied the opportunity to leave the club by manager Zinedine Zidane and then was not afforded many first-team minutes, leaving him frustrated.
He featured in 14 matches but only played the full 90 minutes in two of those. He only scored one goal in a 4-2 victory over Granada and made 2 assists in total.
While James may claim his lack of playing time was not down to him – he was also absent through injury for 14 games. If you hadn’t noticed… he’s been very injury prone throughout his career. This is something any potential future suitors will have to consider before signing him.
Played: 14
Goals: 1
Assists: 2
Minutes played: 728’
Goal contributions per game: 0.21
Missed matches: 14
Bayern Munich (2018-19)
One of the periods Rodriguez did enjoy though was his two-year loan stint at Bayern Munich, where he was loved by the fans. In the 2018-19 season, he helped Bayern to win the
Bundesliga title by scoring seven goals and making six assists. On average, he made a goal contribution every 127 minutes.
This good form may have also been a reflection of the trust instilled in him by Hansi Flick, as he played in 85% of the matches he was available for.
Given his form in that season, it’s unsurprising he was frustrated at Real Madrid after being given nowhere near the same number of opportunities to play.
Played: 33
Assists: 6
Goals: 7
Minutes played: 1,654’
Goal Contributions per game: 0.46
Missed matches: 8
Bayern Munich (2017-18)
In his most successful campaign in the last five years, James shone in his first season at the Allianz Arena, when he played more matches than in his time at Al Rayyan and Everton combined.
He scored 13 goals and made eight assists in a season where he played 39 matches and Bayern also won the title. He scored some fantastic goals and showed some genius vision on the ball too – it seemed like he had finally realised the potential he showed at the 2015 World Cup for Colombia. It also helped that it was a season where he was mostly unaffected by injuries.
At that point, he was arguably at his peak – valued at an estimated £72 million by Transfermarkt. At 27 years old, he was ranked as up there with the world’s best players.
Played: 39
Assists: 8
Goals: 13
Minutes played: 2,643'
Goal Contributions per game: 0.54
Missed matches: 9
Now that James wants a move back to Europe, any potential future clubs will have to look at the fact that he is or at least was a mesmerising footballer, capable of scoring stunning goals and finding passes that not many people can see.
But you cannot deny that his last three seasons at Madrid, Everton and Al Rayyan have not lived up to his high expectations. He has one of the highest wage bills in world football and he also has a shocking injury record, missing 63 matches in the last five years due to various ailments. He also has a long list of controversies surrounding himself, whether it’s falling out with managers or sunning himself on beaches when he should be in training.
If you can keep him happy and injury-free, he’d be a worthwhile addition to any good European side; but they must be willing to pay a high wage bill and respect the fact that he could miss a good chunk of games too. Overall, signing Rodriguez could be a costly risk or a season-defining reward.
