48 Facts About James Rodriguez

1.

James David Rodriguez Rubio was born on 12 July 1991 and is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Super League Greece club Olympiacos and the Colombia national team.

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2.

James Rodriguez has been praised in the past for his technique, vision and playmaking skills, and was often considered the successor to his compatriot Carlos Valderrama.

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3.

James Rodriguez started his international career with the Colombia under-20 team, with which he won the 2011 Toulon Tournament.

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4.

James Rodriguez then captained the U-20 team during the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

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5.

James Rodriguez 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.

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6.

James Rodriguez represented his nation at the 2015 Copa America, the Copa America Centenario in 2016, and the 2019 Copa America, winning a third-place medal in 2016.

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7.

James Rodriguez was born to ex-footballer Wilson James Rodriguez Bedoya and Maria Del Pilar Rubio.

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8.

James Rodriguez started his professional football career in 2006 with the Colombian second division club Envigado, with which he reached the Colombian first division through the 2007 promotion.

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9.

James Rodriguez became the second youngest Colombian player to start a professional match, playing his first match on 21 May 2006, at the age of 14.

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10.

James Rodriguez finished his first season with a goal in 11 appearances.

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11.

James Rodriguez took home four trophies: the Super Cup title, the league title, the Europa League title, and the Cup title as Porto had a historic season.

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12.

James Rodriguez is a two-time winner of the SJPF Player of the Month.

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13.

James Rodriguez won the Portuguese Golden Ball award in 2012, becoming the second Colombian to win the award after Radamel Falcao as well as the youngest player ever to hold the honour.

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14.

James Rodriguez did not start in the second leg of the Champions League match against Malaga until the second half when Porto was down to ten men after the dismiss of a defender.

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15.

Porto lost the match and coach Vitor Pereira was greatly criticized and questioned why James Rodriguez did not start sooner considering that the player was a key member and Porto could have had a more solid team.

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16.

James Rodriguez subsequently signed a five-year contract that was set to keep him at the club until 2018.

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17.

James Rodriguez then missed Monaco's second league match to avoid a possible injury.

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18.

James Rodriguez ended his debut season without a trophy, though nonetheless helped Monaco secure a spot in the following season's UEFA Champions League.

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19.

James Rodriguez was greeted by a 45,000 attendance during his presentation.

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20.

The Colombian ambassador in Madrid made a speech at the event and carried a message from Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos that James Rodriguez was changing the history of Colombian football and that the entire nation is behind him.

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21.

On 8 September 2015, during an international friendly match against Peru, James Rodriguez collided with Peruvian player Juan Manuel Vargas, and though he initially appeared able to continue, James Rodriguez was removed from the game as a precautionary measure.

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22.

On 11 July 2017, it was announced that James Rodriguez was loaned to Bayern Munich on a two-year long deal.

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23.

James Rodriguez appeared in 28 matches and scored seven goals in all competitions.

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24.

On 7 September 2020, James Rodriguez joined Premier League club Everton on a free transfer and signed a two-year deal, with a club option for a third season.

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25.

James Rodriguez scored his first goal for the team against Al-Sailiya on 26 October 2021.

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26.

On 15 September 2022, James Rodriguez joined Greek Super League multisport club Olympiacos on a free transfer.

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27.

James Rodriguez was part of the Colombia U-17 team that finished runners-up in the 2007 South American Under-17 Championships, where he scored three goals.

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28.

James Rodriguez helped Colombia advance to the knockout stages during the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where they eventually lost to the winners of the tournament Nigeria.

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29.

James Rodriguez was part of the Colombia under-20 squad in three youth tournaments during 2011: the Toulon Tournament, the South American U-20 Championship and the U-20 World Cup that was held in his homeland Colombia.

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30.

James Rodriguez scored two goals and provided three assists during the 2011 Toulon Tournament.

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31.

On 29 September 2011, James Rodriguez received his first call-up to the Colombia senior side for a match against Bolivia on 11 October 2011.

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32.

James Rodriguez played his first match of 2013 in the second half of the CONMEBOL qualifiers against Bolivia where he gave a man of the match performance.

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33.

James Rodriguez set up the second goal thanks to a free kick that he took.

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34.

On 2 June 2014, James Rodriguez was named in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and assigned the number 10 shirt.

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35.

James Rodriguez received a standing ovation from the home crowd, ending his first World Cup campaign with six goals and two assists in five matches.

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36.

James Rodriguez then won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer despite being eliminated in the quarter finals.

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37.

On 4 June 2018, James Rodriguez was selected in Colombia's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

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38.

James Rodriguez did not start in the opening game against Japan after a calf injury during training.

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39.

James Rodriguez came as a substitute in the 59th minute for Juan Quintero.

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40.

James Rodriguez had to be substituted in the 30th minute in the final match of the group stage against Senegal due to the injury.

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41.

James Rodriguez played in all three matches during the group phase, but was forced to sit out of Colombia's last 16 match against England.

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42.

On 30 May 2019, James Rodriguez was included in the 23-man final Colombia squad for the 2019 Copa America.

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43.

On 28 May 2021, James was ruled out of the squad for the 2021 Copa America due to his lack of conditioning, i e for not having the optimal physical level, as he had recently been recovering from injury.

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44.

Once considered to be among the best young players in the world, James Rodriguez is a versatile footballer who can play in several positions across the midfield or front-line, having played as a playmaker, winger, and central midfielder for both club and country, although he has stated in interviews that his preferred role is as an attacking midfielder behind the strikers.

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45.

James Rodriguez is an accurate free kick taker, and a goal threat from anywhere on the pitch.

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46.

James Rodriguez has the qualities of a No 9 and is capable of finishing with a shot from the head or with either foot with great effectiveness.

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47.

James Rodriguez married volleyball player Daniela Ospina, sister of Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, in 2011.

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48.

On 28 October 2019, James Rodriguez had his first son and second child, Samuel, to a surrogate in Medellin.

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