RM James Rodriguez
Normally an attacking midfielder due to his standing as one of the world’s most technically gifted No. 10s, James Rodriguez entered the final 10-15 minutes of this match as a substitute for right winger Gareth Bale, who made his mark on the game with his world-class second-minute assist for Karim Benzema.
James didn’t grab an assist, though he threatened an assist earlier, but he did score his first goal since returning to his second stint with Real Madrid following a loan spell at Bayern Munich.
The Colombian’s goal sealed the 4-2 victory for Real in stoppage time, and it was received warmly by the Bernbaue faithful. James celebrated enthusiastically with the home fans, who were relieved after a mad second-half comeback from Granada (mostly caused by Real’s defensive errors) threatened to gift the game to the visitors.
But no gifts would be given thanks to James’s cool finish from a deadly pass into the box by promising young right back Alvaro Odriozola.
James didn’t start this game, but he should be starting regularly for the remainder of the campaign. He’s been brilliant throughout the season, either creating loads of chances (Levante), flexing his defensive work (Sevilla), or scoring a key goal (Granada). The man has shown that he can do it all, and it will be interesting to see how Zinedine Zidane continues to use him as part of a talented midfield.