James Rodriguez’s most iconic moments for Real Madrid, Bayern and more

James Rodriguez is Colombia’s finest product when it comes to soccer. With mesmerizing vision in finding a killer pass and a face which has not aged since bursting onto the world stage in 2014, James is now giving English soccer fans the privilege of witnessing his bamboozling brilliance on the ball. After spells at Monaco, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Rodriguez has reunited with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and, if they’re being honest, even the Goodison faithful realize just how lucky they are to have acquired a player of Rodriguez’s calibre.

In this article, Planet Sport celebrates the playmaker who has returned to form with the Merseyside club, taking a look at some of his career highlights.

Rodriguez, who represented Monaco at club level, rose to prominence at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The tournament saw him become Colombia’s talisman, scoring or assisting in every game for his country.  

He came out of the blocks meaning business, notching up two assists and a goal in a 3-0 victory over Greece in Colombia’s opening game of the group stage. Rodriguez would continue his swanky play in the next game with another goal against Ivory Coast before bagging another two assists and a third tournament goal over Japan in a 4-1 victory. His performance against Japan is even more impressive when you consider he only played 45 minutes of the fixture.Rodriguez’s defining moment came in the Round of 16 against Uruguay when he scored one of the best goals in World Cup history. Controlling the ball with his chest, Rodriguez smashed it home from 25 yards, with the ball ricocheting dramatically off the crossbar before crossing the line. His incredible volley won him the 2014 FIFA Puskas Award for the goal of the year. Rodriguez bagged a brace in that game to send his country through to their first ever World Cup quarterfinal. 

The playmaker scored again in the quarterfinal, this time a penalty against Brazil. Sadly this is where his World Cup dream ended as the home nation defeated Colombia 2-1.His goals for Colombia saw Rodriguez win the World Cup Golden Boot - an award given to the player with the most tournament goals. The late great Diego Maradona advocated for Rodriguez to win the Golden Ball too - which is given to the best player at the tournament - despite Maradona’s compatriot Lionel Messi winning the honor. 

Rodriguez’s incredible World Cup form earned him a move to Real Madrid in July 2014, and the reported £63million ($83million) fee made Rodriguez the most expensive Colombian player in history, surpassing Radamel Falcao.  

He joined some of the best players in the world in the Spanish capital, including soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. He was affectionately named a ‘Galactico’ due to his huge price tag and monumental welcome at the Bernabeu, with 45,000 fans appearing for his unveiling.  

He achieved a standout season after joining the club and was named La Liga’s best midfielder that year. He registered 26 goal contributions in 29 matches to justify his massive transfer fee. His success was not just limited domestically, however, as he also won back-to-back Champions League trophies in 2015/16 and 2016/17 with Real.

After securing a loan move from Real to German titans Bayern Munich in July 2017, Rodriguez joined players such as Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben in attack. He demonstrated his playmaking talents against arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in November 2017, a game which saw Bayern run out 3-1 winners in the Bundesliga.  

He received the ball from Thiago for the first goal, chesting it down exquisitely before laying it off for Robben to finish. The Colombian also had a hand in Bayern’s third goal, playing the ball to defender David Alaba, who finished from outside the box to secure all three points.

Scoring against his parent club in the Champions League Rodriguez managed what few players ever get to do in May 2018, when he scored against parent club Real for Bayern in the Champions League semifinals. 

The midfielder had already played a part in the first leg, registering an assist as Bayern were defeated 2-1 at home. The German giants took the lead early in the second leg, with Joshua Kimmich putting them in front only for a Benzema double to put Real in the driving seat.  

Bayern were looking down and out before Rodriguez stepped up. He lashed onto a shot which was saved by Keylor Navas, converting the rebound to level the tie at 2-2. As expected, the goal spurred emotions of treachery amongst Spanish media, despite Rodriguez’s subdued celebrations which demonstrated his loyalty.  Luckily, all was forgiven as Madrid progressed to yet another final.

Rodriguez joined Argentinian side Banfield in 2008. Still aged 17, he featured in every game of the 2009 Torneo Apertura championship, which Banfield went on to win with 41 points. He also became the youngest foreigner to score a professional goal in Argentina during this campaign.  

Rodriguez proved himself to be one of the best teenage talents in South America with his impressive performances throughout the season. He registered 30 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and achieving six assists.  

His form saw him attract interest from Europe, with Portuguese giants Porto signing him for a fee of around $6million. 

Rodriguez was reunited with former boss Carlo Ancelotti in September 2020 when he joined Premier League side Everton on a two-year deal. The transfer saw Rodriguez aim to revive his playing career after falling down the pecking order at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane.  

The Colombian made a great start to life at Goodison Park as he swiftly created a rapport with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. The Toffees picked up a victory over Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in his first Premier League appearance. Rodriguez then bagged a goal and an assist in the next match, an impressive 5-2 drubbing of West Brom.  

He continued his form not long afterwards against Brighton. Rodriguez whipped in a free kick for compatriot Yerry Mina to head home as the Toffees made it 2-1 just before half time. Rodriguez scored at the back post seven minutes into the second half to make it 3-1 as Alex Iwobi found him with a chipped cross. He then scored a very similar goal later in the game after ghosting away from his marker at the back post to secure all three points for Everton.