Real Madrid: Making sense of all the James Rodriguez rumors and news
By Ben Sundock
One of the biggest questions Real Madrid fans have had this summer is will James Rodriguez terminate his two-year loan with Bayern Munich and return to the club? Or will he stay in Germany permanently? After all the rumors, reports, and news, here is what we know so far.
The back and forth reports revolving around the Colombian midfielder will cause anyone whiplash. First, he was for sure staying with Bayern Munich, happy with his performance in his first year in the Bundesliga and the club, then he mentioned wanting to return to Real Madrid this summer, then recanted that statement and made it seem like he was going to wait until the end of his loan to go back to Madrid.
Now, James is saying that he wants to stay with Bayern and wouldn’t mind making it a permanent move.
So, how do you make sense of this mess? Well, to be perfectly honest, it is nearly impossible to do so. But, I will try my best.
Since his arrival in the Spanish capital following an amazing performance at the 2014 World Cup, Rodriguez has been a phenomenal all-around player who can make seemingly impossible passes, is a free-kick expert, and is always in the right place at the right time when his team needs him.
But, with all those positives, there are still some negatives that surround him and make me skeptical about who he is off the pitch. I firmly believe he is a world-class midfielder, but mentally, I don’t have a clue what he is thinking.
The season Real Madrid won both La Liga and the Champions League, James didn’t play nearly enough and was somewhat of an outcast under former manager Zinedine Zidane. It felt like a weekly occurrence when the camera would pan across the Madrid bench and focus on a skulking James who seemed uninterested in whatever was going on.
Yet, when he would be called upon, he always made a big play whether it was a key pass, an assist on a tying goal, or scoring one himself. He made a name for himself during the 2016/2017 season, along with Alvaro Morata, as a ‘super sub’ coming on and always contributing in a big way.
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Since moving to Bayern last summer, James has been played more minutes, featuring in 23 league matches scoring seven goals and providing 11 incredible assists. And, when you win the league and have a good season, it is hard to make a move away. Why leave success?
I understand that James has been enjoying a phenomenal stretch of play and is a key player in the Bayern Munich squad, but he can play that same role for Real now with Cristiano Ronaldo gone.
He mentioned in an interview a week ago with Marca that he enjoyed the best stint of his career with Real Madrid and is very proud of the titles he won while in Spain.
"“Real Madrid was the club where I scored the most goals, 32 with Porto and 36 in Madrid,” he told the show. That isn’t easy, and with 42 assists too.”“The best title [he has won]? There is no doubt that it was ‘those with Real Madrid’, where he won, among other things, two Champions League titles, a LaLiga championship and a Club World Cup.”"
So, with all this information, here is what I am thinking. James is enjoying his play with Bayern. He also really enjoyed his three seasons with Real Madrid and was happy with everything he and the club accomplished in a short period of time.
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This all leads me to believe that he will one day return to Madrid and be welcomed back with open arms. Even with a limited role during the ’16/’17 season, he was a fan favorite. He is an incredible talent and even as he closes in on 30, can still be dominant for many years to come.
I have a very good feeling of him returning to Real Madrid next summer at the end of his loan deal unless Bayern shell out an astronomical amount for his services. I said in an article a couple weeks ago that this would be a good season for him to come back, but next summer will be just fine too.