Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after crucial win over Athletic Bilbao

2. Has James Rodriguez played his final game?

James Rodriguez started for Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago in the win over Real Sociedad, winning five tackles, per WhoScored.com, in a hard-working performance defensively but a nondescript one offensively.

He hasn’t played in any other match since La Liga’s return, and he wasn’t even in the squad against Athletic Bilbao. Per Zinedine Zidane, James was the one who actually requested not to play for “personal reasons”.

It’s clear that James is on his way out soon. Real Madrid must sell him this summer, since his contract will expire after 2020-2021. They won’t be able to get maximum value for James in this market, but that is irrelevant. Every little bit helps, and even a price as low as 20 million euros is far better than letting him go to, say, Everton or Manchester United for free. Or worse yet, rivals Atletico Madrid.

The fears of him joining Atleti may not be realized, but it will be tough seeing James go regardless, especially if THIS is his send-off. James has scored some amazing goals for Real Madrid and played at a high level at times; it’s just that the way the game has evolved at the Santiago Bernabeu no longer suits James’ skill-set. Hopefully he can find success elsewhere.