ANALYSIS: As part of a special series examining the form of this summer's major signings, Goal takes a look at the Colombia international
By Chris MysonAfter just one season at Monaco and an exceptional World Cup campaign with Colombia, James Rodriguez took a massive step up to Real Madrid in a big-money deal.
But how successful has the transfer been, and what does the future hold for the 23-year-old? Goal takes a look...
| THE DEAL |
Even though James Rodriguez had already played four seasons in Europe with Porto and Monaco and commanded a transfer fee of €45 million when he switched between the two clubs, it was not until the World Cup that he earned global recognition.
The best moment of a stunning individual tournament – which saw him win the Golden Boot after scoring six goals in five matches – was his wonderful first-half volley against Uruguay in the round-of-16.
Immediately after that performance, the attacking midfielder made it clear that Real Madrid would be his preferred destination if his match-winning performances in Brazil were to earn a big-money summer move. "I have great respect for other clubs but ultimately Real Madrid are Real Madrid," he said. "I have always had a thing for them – that would be a dream."
After the tournament, Florentino
Perez
| THE STORY SO FAR |
James' start to his Real Madrid career has been solid but not yet consistently spectacular, with the supreme goalscoring exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo taking centre stage in the early months of the club's season.
As expected, the Colombia star is already a first-team regular. He has appeared in all 12 of Madrid’s matches in 2014-15 to date, with 10 of those outings coming from the start.
He has scored three goals and assisted two – on average a direct contribution towards a goal once every two starts - while Madrid have won eight of those 12 fixtures, including the last six in a row as they begin to find some consistent form.
His most impressive performance to date came in Madrid’s staggering 8-2 La Liga victory away to Deportivo La Coruna. James scored one and set up another as part of a fearsome foursome alongside Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, all of whom tormented the hosts.
| THE FUTURE |
There is a lot of pressure on James and the expectations are huge as a result of the €80m as he adapts to a new league. Performances come under intense scrutiny at one of the world’s biggest clubs anyway, but that is multiplied after the hype that surrounded his move.
Add to that the fact Angel Di Maria was sold to Manchester United and it becomes easy to have a clouded judgement when reviewing James’ early-season form.
Di Maria was Madrid’s best player along with Ronaldo last season and any player would find the challenge of replacing the Argentine at the Bernabeu difficult, particularly as the new arrival adapts to a brand new position in a team where is not yet the main man.
As he continues to acclimatise to life in Madrid and his new team-mates, James' influence can be expected to grow. That being said, his individual statistics could easily have been much stronger already.
While the goals and assist columns are yet to take off, a deeper look at his performances indicate real signs of promise. In La Liga, the attacker already tops Madrid’s rankings for key chances created (16) and crosses (44), proof he is making a strong creative impact.
The goals of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo in attack, along with Madrid’s recent upturn in form are providing him with the time he needs to fine-tune his role and improve on his end product before the season reaches its business end.
Looking further forward to the years ahead, James is set to become an even more important figure given the club’s huge investment in him, his marketability and unquestionable talent.
With Ronaldo’s long-term future uncertain, the baton will likely, at some stage at least, pass to James to be the new spearhead in Madrid’s quest for domination on and off the pitch.
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