James Rodríguez
James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club São Paulo and the Colombia national team. He has been praised for his technique, vision, and playmaking skills, and was often considered the successor to his compatriot Carlos Valderrama.
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James training with Bayern Munich in 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | James David Rodríguez Rubio | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 July 1991 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cúcuta, Colombia | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | São Paulo | |||||||||||||
| Number | 55 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Academia Tolimense de Fútbol | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Envigado | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Envigado | 30 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Banfield | 42 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Porto | 63 | (25) | |||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Monaco | 34 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 2014–2020 | Real Madrid | 85 | (29) | |||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | → Bayern Munich (loan) | 43 | (14) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Everton | 23 | (6) | |||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Al-Rayyan | 13 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Olympiacos | 20 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2023– | São Paulo | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Colombia U17 | 11 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2011 | Colombia U20 | 5 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2011– | Colombia | 98 | (27) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024 | ||||||||||||||
Starting his career at Envigado, and then moving to Argentina side Banfield, James became well known in Europe during his time at Porto, winning several trophies and individual awards during his three years at the club. In 2014, James moved from AS Monaco to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of £63 million, beating Radamel Falcao as the most expensive Colombian football player and one of the most expensive players at the time. In his debut season, he was named in the La Liga Team of the Season and won La Liga Best Midfielder. In 2017, he signed for German club Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal. In the summer of 2020, he signed for Premier League club Everton on a free transfer, staying there for one season before joining Qatar's Al-Rayyan and Greece's Olympiacos in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In 2023, 13 years after leaving South America, he returned to the continent by joining Brazilian club São Paulo.
James started his international career with the Colombia under-20 team, with which he won the 2011 Toulon Tournament. He then captained the U-20 team during the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Due to his performance in the tournament, he was regularly called into the senior squad by the age of 20. He played in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, winning the Golden Boot in 2014 and being included in the Cup's All Star Team. He also represented his nation at the 2015 Copa América, the Copa América Centenario in 2016, and the 2019 Copa América, winning a third-place medal in 2016.