The Strange Decline Of James Rodríguez
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- čas přidán 4. 05. 2024
- After every World Cup, there are a handful of players that have showed up and impressed us all. Many of whom will likely earn massive transfers away to major European giants. 2014 was no different.
The talk of the town that time around was James Rodríguez. However, things haven't exactly gone to plan for him since. Today, we talk about what happened.
Transcript and sources: footballiconic.com
Twitter: / theofficial_fi
Instagram: / chips009
Background music:
Song 1 - • apathetic - sad lofi h... (Prod. riddiman)
Song 3 - • brutality - hard piano... (Prod. Riddiman)
00:00 - Introduction
01:43 - The Rise Of James
04:20 - The boy is a star
07:29 - 2014 World Cup
10:26 - The fall of James Rodríguez
Producer: Tinashe Chipako
-------------------
All non-licensed material used in this video falls under fair use for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. No copyright infringement intended. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of said material, please send me an email at info@footballiconic.com and we can sort it out. - Sport
Such a shame that most of the talents from 2010-2019 have fallen off, James, Hazard, Coutinho, Isco, so many world class players that have just flopped
You could also say nmbr 10 has fallen
it’s the fall of the classic 10s
Being a regular 10 isn't needed anymore, kind of sad... Look at Ozil
Balotteli
In the cases of James and Isco I think that playing for Real Madrid under Morinho, where they didn't get enough gametime to excel made them flopped on the long run. I found that Morinho is responsible for the decline of a lot of good players and talents including James, Isco, Kaka, Drente and a lot of other players also, even Bale. When Bale came he didn't get the left wing spot, due to Ronaldo, where he excelled at Tottenham Hotspur. The real average quality of Morinho as a coach was exposed when he went back to Chelsea and Manchester United after Real Madrid. If those players where in another team and under another coach at that time I think they would be in another situation today.
As someone who stopped paying attention to soccer/ football since 2016 I had no idea what happened to James Rodriguez. So glad there’s a video to explain what I’ve missed
Npc comment 😹
Why did you stop?
Hugely overrated player whose told he’s amazing (beyond reality) like lukaku, overhyped from a World Cup.
@@adamafrah8543 how?
@@solarmaru49 exactly! He was never world class or anyone near there matter of a fact!
He got rich, and stopped trying. He’s not the first, and he won’t be the last!
can’t argue with that
Such a wasted talent man...
True, ronaldinho same thing
mbappe next
@@ggh_-ts6pn nah Mbappe is actually passionate about football
Hey, it would be interesting (And funny) if you talked about the Chilean National Team. How it managed to perform surprisingly well in 2014 World Cup, then won two Copas Américas, and now can’t manage to qualify for a World Cup
They were on the Bielsa cycle. Peak hard and early, fall off dramatically.
Peak Vidal and Sanchez
2014-16 Chile NT makes me irrationally angry. It's like they made it their life's mission to deprive Argentina and Messi of the trophy and then peace out leaving Argentina desperate.
Prime Sanchez,Vidal,Medel,Vargas,Claudio Bravo what a team it was!!!
it seems pretty simple. they don't have good players anymore as that generation got old and they have nobody to replace them.
As a Colombian, this is spot on.. You were a little generous at the end with him. The reality is that he is a massive talent but lazy and immature. When he wants, he still has the potential to be the best in the field, the issue is that he just doesn't care enough
Tal cual
they didnt even make the 2022 world cup!! this guy was god in 2014!!!!
I noticed that his level dropped off same time his marriage broke down when he wanted to be a playboy and date Russian and Venezuelan models....es un chivo jejeje
I need 2 kilo Coke
@@karlsylvain I was hoping to see him play with Colombia when I went to watch Mexcio vs Colombia in 2022 at Levi's Stadium. Before the match started, I asked some Colombian fans if he was playing, but they said the national team hadn't called him up for a while. I was disappointed that James Rodriguez wasn't there and that Mexico lost on home turf, but it was a really good game so I can't be too sad.
When Ancelotti was coaching Napoli, he pushed hard to get James from Real. All the insider reports I have read is that James had no interest because he would have to take a pay cut as Napoli don’t have the revenue of Real or Everton (where Ancelotti went from Napoli). He was much more interested in extra $$ and sitting his ass on the bench than going to a team where he would have played a significant role for sure. So I don’t shed a tear for James. He’s gotten everything he’s deserved from soccer - fabulously rich, but a subpar career.
which i guess is reasonable. Not everyone is destined for greatness or even want that. I'm glad he's well taken care of at least
@@twkidd also remember he comes from Colombia so he would rather have more money to help his family than being at a top level club.
So you will choose a warehouse job with constant lifting, that pays less than an office job where you get to sit about and type on a computer?
@@B.Precisionit’s different we’re talking about millions of dollars either way and a transfer to Napoli opens up more opportunities for more money and a better career
I wouldn't say his career was subpar
James is another example which showcases the need to evolve one's game style if you want to stay relevant in the ever evolving football landscape. The likes of James, Juan Mata, and Mesut Ozil were best suited as a luxury number 10 or second striker in a fluid 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system. But very few if any teams have been using such systems since 2015 or 2016. The modern midfielder even if they're offensive minded, needs to press well, and do their bit in terms of tracking back as well as play in multiple positions and systems. One has to just just look at how David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Thomas Muller, etc changed their game and became much more complete players in recent years.
It's a harsh, but, undeniable reality, one needs to adapt and evolve with the passage of game.
Honestly I think he could still have found his niche... He would have done great in the current PSG setup or in Morocco-style defensive teams
His real problem was his insistence to stay at Madrid
@@user-jd5zt4of8q I agree. Its admirable that he wanted to prove himself in Madrid but at some point you have to cut your losses. Ancelotti was the only manager who really believed in him at club level
Özil was screwed by the management. Yes he was a bit out of touch at the later end, but still he was adapting and creating chances. The fact that arsenal's finisher was s--t was the reason why he failed.
@@subratr5807 😌 I disagree since I was talking more about Ozil during his Premier League stint games and not La Liga. Yes he was great during the home games between 2013 - 17 but, he really struggled to dominate the tough away games... especially against the top 6 & Arsenal's boggey teams such as Stoke.
After 2017, his home form was also spiralling downwards since he was not able to compete with the much more athletic and dynamic midfielders...apart from the occasional flashes of brilliance during the home games or some cup ties, he was unable to consistently perform like Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva or Bernardo Silva etc who also started their careers in similar positions to Ozil but were able to evolve their game.....
Good post, I agree. Except Thomas Müller, just good as second striker, not as left or right winger. He won the 'fight' against Kovac a former Bayern Trainer who would constantly put him on the wings, then he basically was second striker again. He is also the lung and a second Trainer on the pitch, that makes him valuable also.
This is the kind of thing that makes you appreciated Messi and Ronaldo (yes, I know, every football topic becomes about them, apologies in advance) and how long they really have been able to stay at the top. Guys like James comes around every now and then, have that spark of brilliance, and then "fade away" into "obscurity" (really big relative term here, I am mainly a hockey fan and even our biggest stars are less known than James). Right now we have guys like Haaland and Mbappe touching at level of those two greats but the question isn't are they as good as them now but can they maintain that for season after season, tournament after tournament.
Mbappe is miles clear of this conversation. Hes better than them all by alot.
@@omardevonlittle3817 He is very good yeah, close to or even with almost peak Messi/Ronaldo level. But will see how long he keeps that and which teams he plays for in the future.
@@omardevonlittle3817 Haaland better
Mbappe and Haaland both have excellent work ethic and desire to be consistently great. I think ego for Mbappe could be his only downfall, but despite this he would still be able to produce goals and perform at a high level. Whether at PSG or at National level he has shown leadership and big performances in key games.
This is what seperates momentary brilliance vs excellent high performing longevity.
@@chopsnz88 Thats true, but there is also just the sheer length of time Messi and Ronaldo have been great. Messi especially has been tremendous at adjusting his game. With Haaland and Mbappe both their "trademark" trait is their tremendous pace so I wonder if they can adjust once that starts to fade a bit (still many years away obviously). I think Mbappe might be the more adaptable of the two, but thats purely speculation.
James was just one of many players during that era who had a high peak that unfortunately didn't last too long. People like Falcao and Götze come to mind. But when they were at their peak they were a absolute joy to watch. Which is why I too will remember him fondly.
Falcao did at most teams where he played at, obviously there are some exceptions..
Most players in history have had relatively short peaks. It's just htat nowadays we are more critical and look more at stats plus we had Messi/Ronaldo and nowadays Haaland/Mbappe who combine excellence with consistency. . Shearer had 4 maybe 5 great seasons, rest was quite average (esp. if you exclude penalty goals). Zidane really only had 3-4 stellar seasons. Ronaldo Nazario maybe 3 or 4 as well. Cruyff had a terrific 8-9 year spell at Ajax but only really 1 good season at Barca.
@@LoyalGio Only in Porto and Atletico. He was horrible in Man U and already past his peak in Monaco. He had two good season in Monaco, sure. But it was just League 1, without trying to downplay it. And his statistics weren't comparable to his time in Porto and Atletico. And as much as I love the portugese League, it's not comparable to the top leagues too. So if I were to be very strict, he only had two seasons on the top level in Atletico. But don't get me wrong, he was a great player and I enjoyed his performances.
@@daarom3472 It definitely isn't fair to compare everyone with Messi/Ronaldo. I think the main reason why even players like Ronaldinho had a relatively short peak is because they weren't very professional. At least compared to players nowadays. That's why players like Mbappe and Haaland are so good at a very young age and why they perform at the highest level for so long, like Benzema and Ibrahimovic did. Players like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo would have had a very long peak too was it not for injuries and had they been more professional by training their body deligently and taking better care of proper nutrition. Imagine Ronaldinho or Ronaldo Phenomen's passion and natural talent combined with the work ethic of CR7 or Haaland. But I don't want to complain too much. I had the Joy of watching them at their best. Just wished it would have lasted longer.
add coutinho to that list
As a Colombian it’s sad to see his decline but always grateful for all the moments he gave us
As an Olympiacos fan, its good to have him on the team. He showcases talent that is nowhere to be found in a tiny football country like Greece, along with Marcelo. 2 days ago, he scored an amazing goal out of the box, and delivered one assist in a 5 0 victory. When celebrating his goal, he went to the fans and made a gesture like "keep talking" probably because the team suffered criticism after blowing a 2 0 away lead last game in an away match that ended 2 2, although I cant imagine anyone actually criticising James himself, as he has been performing amazing every single game. When the coach subbed him off in order to rest him for more important games (score was like 3 or 4 nil) he was visibly angry and slammed the bench. I think this match with the 1 goal 1 assist 1 angry celebration and 1 angry reaction to substitution pretty much sums up his character. Still he s an amazing player to have in the club, and definitely the best to have played in Greece for the past years.
You guys also got Brazilian legend Rodinei! He is kind of a meme player in brazil but was a good locker room player. Cheers
@@frxnix Rodinei had a good first game for Olympiacos, looks solid on offence and defence.
Immaturity, there you have it.
@@djbarrerap Yesterday he was the best player on the pitch constantly running and controlling the game. I'll take a little bit of immaturity with that kind of work ethic. James is special just like Ronaldo and Messi so it's to be expected!
@@frxnix Rodinei is a more susscessful transfer than James or Marcelo. Marcelo was overweight when he came and during the first few games he was playing like an amateur player. James was decent but had injury problems and he was quite unprofessional.
James was such a beast. I'm colombian so I'm biased but at his best NT James was world class. As it worst he was still class in the NT. His decline didn't really showed in the NT until the team got really bad after Queiroz left when the team really started doing poorly as a collective.
Jame's problem was his inability to mature at the rate it was need it of him. He was naturally good so when injuries piled up and he had to actually "learn" and adapt beyond the number 10 position, he arrogantly though he was above that. He figured he could coast of his abilities and being in the NT. Grave mistake.
The whole episode where he was left out the NT in 2021 and his subsequent return really put into perspective everything about his career, the man could if he wanted to, but though he didn't have to.
Thank you for a Colombian point of view and insight. I really lost track of James after 2014 WC because I don't follow club football. By the way, are you Aragorn? Long have I desired to meet a fellow LOTR & football fan. 😄
His struggles at RM had people believe he wasn't good enough or was 'overrated', but the truth is the opposite. Almost every game he played he scored bangers and was a star player. His real problem is he wasn't willing to tone it down. In fact he upped his game, unlike Modric, Kroos and Benzema, who all adapted to play at about 40% of their true ability in order to fit with the club's main goal: making their money back from Ronaldo's image. It's also why Bale was swapped for the less talented Vasquez and fell out with Zidane (it wasn't just 'injuries'), and why they delayed purchasing other linked world class stars like Hazard, until after Ronaldo was gone.
He's still beast, his left foot is just out of this world, he can send the ball exactly where he wants at any time.
Le hicieron la cama a Queiroz, especialmente James
@@Madness1299 Agreed. Perez has started changing since then, but in the past he was alway signing players with the most glamorous of marketing campaigns. Beckham comes to mind. Nevertheless, I believe that Benzema wasn’t really underrated, Ronaldo was just a better finisher. Madrid needed someone to rival Messi, and although Messi is clearly the better player, the media-created Rivalry really increased the popularity of the already popular el clásico matches.
As an Olympiakos fan, I am absolutely delighted to have James in the club. He sure is a bit of a "diva", but with players of that caliber you really need some special treatment, otherwise it will just never work. Our current coach, Michel Gonzalez (of Real Madrid fame) has given him an oldschool number 10 role and he is delivering the goods. Honestly, this is what football is all about, the spectacle and having a great time at the end of the day, and James serves that in spades. I couldn't care less about "top flight" football, it's all budget flexing and boring.
Πες τα αγορίνα
At least you can surely say that he really did come to Greece to play ball and not just make money and enjoy the sun
The dude would look like a superstar in a third rate league
Yea he is absolutely looking like a star in the Greek league and is good for Olympiacos fans too.
Atleast in FC Porto he was a beast
He's the prime example of what happens when talent stops working hard.
Out of all the Real Madrid players that ultimately failed, James breaks my heart the most. What he showed on that pitch was pure talent, and an amazing synergy with both the midfielders, and the forwards. Such a shame that Zidane's system was built in such a way that didn't allow him to be part of it, and that he had some questionable work ethic, because ky Lord in heaven, did he have the footballing qualities to be a legend of the best club on the planet
I still miss James Rodriguez at Everton. People underestimate how good he was for us
There are shades of Ozil here: immense natural talent, strong self belief and marketable. All that said, his difficulty in adjusting to managers and systems undid him. The manner in which the big teams slowly rejected him speaks to problems outside of football. Silly speculation but injuries don’t explain everything. Sad loss to football.
perfect candidate for Saudi Arabia league
@@B.Precision He went to Qatar already, I assume he would have stayed there if everything outside of football was to his liking.
@@B.Precision Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in World Cup, never underestimate anyone because if you don't work then you won't fit anywhere in today's world. Football has changed a lot from the time you look down on such leagues buddy, there will be a comeback for individual talents because any system runs itself down for a maximum of a decade, that's how business works as well, today's football is business.
@@Noor6848 I do not look down on the Saudia football league. And your right, the only team to beat the World Champions suggest an exciting place to play and watch football.
My problem is that Ozil, for all the terrible stressors that German and English football put him through, couldn’t show them his true greatness. He let the bastards get him down. I don’t blame him for this, after all he went through hell in Germany but I do think he handled Arsenal badly and foolishly.
Don't talk nonsense Ozil looked like a fish out water...what marketability
As a Colombian, I really wish he could’ve continued the way he did. Brought pride to the country and everyone who is Colombian
YES, finally a James Rodriguez video :D Thank you so much for this! I think James is so underrated as a football player..I actually really loved the era when Cristiano, Marcelo and James were playing for Real Madrid.
I loved this kid in 2014 and hated watching him stagnate on the bench in Madrid, but he collected a lot of silverware for not too much sweat and got a fine paycheck in the bargain. Who among us would not take that path if it was available?
I remember watching him in the 2014 World Cup as a kid and I honestly thought he was as good as Maradona. It's a real shame that his career fell off and I hope he can somehow get back to the form he has before. Congrats on 200k 🥳
@@yeeeet01 he said he was a kid mate read
Bro I was a child 💀
@@willastheman7884highlights. Many many highlights. This is why it’s tough to compare players now (messi, cr7) to players then (Pepe, maradona). Watching live is different than highlights
@@Brathaa pepe????
@@stxfdt1240 I’m sure he meant to say Pelé. Unless he’s serious about it being Pepe…
I think he kind of views his time in Qatar as a humiliation. He is doing very well in Olympiakos this year (he is there together with Marcelo). I think that he sees this as an opportunity to kind of redeem himself, play a good season in Europa or Champions League and show the world that, despite the fact that his glory days are long gone, he is still there and he still has some quality football left in him.
Quality is permanent my friend
@@billyjean5934 quality is often ephemeral
I think you dealt with the problem right at the beginning. The old style number ten is a luxury that teams can only afford nowadays as long as they stay consistently at the top of their game. They often have a short lifespan in the top leagues of Europe where than can be isolated comparatively easily unless they can learn to adapt. Many, especially the fragile ones like James cannot.
still one of the nicest goals ever scored at a WC, will be forever etched in my memory
Edit after watching:
I think it's important to look at these as cautionary tales, work hard with your talent.. if you don't then it'll fade away
Van Persies was better.
I started watching you a few months ago and have watched every upload since. The 200k is thoroughly deserved and you're one of the best around. Thanks for the great content- onwards and upwards!
Congrats on 200k. Well deserved, I love watching your videos. Keep up the good work!
James got me so many points on my fantasy premier league. Always came in clutch for me. Legend
haven't watch yet but by the title I know it's going to be a sick video , keep up the good work fam 👍
Thank you for making this video. As a Colombian, I was a follower of James. I also still come to CZcams to watch his amazing goal against Uruguay (and of course remember exactly where I was), and his goals at Madrid.
Thank you for making this!!
The day James signed for Everton was the day I knew he was finished.
You misspelled Real Madrid.
I completely forgot he played for everton
James Rodríguez and Ozil were indeed the last traditional number 10s.
Never seen your channel until this video but subscribed immediately. Your narration and quality are up there gonna be checking out your other videos🙏
I´m from Colombia, and I´m amazed with the way you tell the events and all the research behind this. Just subscribed for more videos.
As a colombian I'll go ahead and say it, we're mentally weak.
We're not used to success, when it comes it spoils us.
Damn I also thought it's probably the money that changed him😭
Could be said about most of Latin America
Zidane doesn’t like Colombians, that’s why we fired him after the 2020/2021 season, he was getting REAL weird. James is one of my idols and it broke my heart seeing him decline. To me his still one of my favorite players of all time. Viva Colombia
Cultures clash
just want to say that good job on your vids, they are well researched and interesting, very enjoyable
As an Everton fan it was ludicrous that he signed for us (a bit like Kanchelskis in 1995/6) and he showed his class on many occasions. He also showed his weak side by the end, taking 2 games off for every 1 played and not enjoying the winter much. Had the club not completely messed up in appointing Benitez, who knows what he may have done - I suspect not much without Ancelotti.
My favorite player, watching that goal against Uruguay in 2014 made me cry and made me be proud to be Colombian. I used to get bullied all the time for being Colombian but he really made the pride of being Colombian GROW ❤️
why would u get bullied for being Colombian?
"That" goal that he scored at the world cup in 2014 was spectacular. Always worth a rewatch.
Not at all surprised the channel grew, you make great football video essays!
Loved watching him play, I’d been wondering where he was. Thank you for the video as always, love your content and clear passion💪🏼
he plays with marcelo in greece team olympicaos
As a Colombian American who just started getting into soccer in 2011 he was the first player I identified with and followed from club to club, at his best he was one of the purest 10s in modern football. I still remember him putting colombia on his back during the 2018 qualifiers.
Its football not soccer😑
football*
@@OnlyBlix cuadrado got overshadowed by james in 2014. he was another star in the making at the time
cuadrado, falcao, armero, zuñiga, abel, yepes... nice team
Football***
I am an olympiakos fan and all i have to say is that i am a very excited that we have this kind of player here. He is doing fantastic in his first 3 months. Really now one expected him to be that good considering his last years where a dissapointmen. evreytime he touches the ball the crowd applaudes. For sure, tho, his prime has ended but he still has some years left. If we do good this year, he will maybe have a chance to play in the europa/champions league again in 2024, who is the reason he came back to europe
Great content yet again. Thanks
Well put together
Very nice vid. I would also add that James showed great potential in Argentina because Banfield was the classical yo-yo team, that was used to fight against relegation rather than for a title. With James they completely demolished that tournament winning the 1st division title for the first time in their history. Even if he played only for two years, he is one of Banfield's greatest heroes. Banfield's coach at that point was Julio Falcioni, who had a very similar approach like Ancelotti, and therefore gave James freedom rather than stick him into a strict system.
It's always a great day when the Legend Uploads 🔥🔥
Wow playing football manager, thought I'll search for some James Rodriguez stuff and you posted this a day ago, good timing!
Stumbled across your channel. I love it.
as well as James, seems like players like isco, ozil (other factors though), Coutinho, dele alli suffered massively from their roles and skillsets as 10s not really matching the midfield meta of the modern game
To me, this is why James became a let down. He's never been a true #10, and should never have been shoehorned into that role.
Coaches are as much or MORE to blame than James himself.
He would have thrived in a role like Thierry Henry or Ryan Giggs had, up front, on the wing.
He has never been a playmaker like those he was compared to at the beginning of the video - Laudrup, Totti, Riquelme, and Platini.
@@MrVvulf James was far too slow to be that kind of winger
Congratulations mate, you deserve all of your success!
I hate that #10's just aren't a part of the game anymore. Those were the players who made football a joy to watch and got you off the edge of your seat. It's just not entertaining watching less technically gifted players covering a lot of ground. Even the likes of Foden don't get to play as a #10. The new #10's are #6's and that's why I love watching players like Verratti
Tyler Adams
Your content has been amazing all year tinashe, this channel and tifo football are the highest of quality.
Great job bro
Great video; could you please make a video on Oscar, the once Brazilian wonderkid and young prodigy who scored stunning goals at Chelsea and formed a trio with Hazard and Mata, but then left to China and was forgotten about ever since.
Hey Tinashe! Can you make a vid on Gakpo with Liverpool and a video on rise decline and rise of Griezmann (he was great in the WC). Also this was a banger
Your channel teaches me the history of the game from years ago and now. Plus u teach the technical side of the game that someone that grows up with it only knows. Like I’ve played USA Football since 8 I just know things about it that someone that didn’t can’t know.
You make excellent content! Keep it up!
As a Real Madrid fan , James and Ozil were the best 10 we had in the last 10 years , i know not a lot of Madridistas share the same opinion i have about James but to me he was better than Isco and I wish both him and Ozil could have had more time in Real Madrid but the game is shifting more heavily to running and engine like midfielders and less to play makers and CAM or you have to be able to do both like Kevin De Bruyne to be relevant these days but James was a joy to watch even some say we have a team A and Team B in 2017 , he was playing for the quote and quote B team but he would have been one of the best in the A team anyways , certainly one of the best CAM in the last 10 years for me and a club legend for sure .
Definitely not a club legend. That's the dumbest thing I've heard. He never contributed to getting a title
RIP pelé. The first football superstar. Grandfather of this beautiful sport that I love. One of the greatest of all time has joined the likes of Maradona and Cruyff. He will always be remembered. 🙏🙏
This was fiya. Subscribed
I'm colombian and, I remember exactly where I was when I saw the goal against Uruguay. This video explained really well what happened to James, thanks.
Can never forget how good James Rodriguez was in the 2014 world cup and in his 1st season at Madrid. That Colombia team with Rodriguez , Falco and Jackson Martinez was scary on paper and all 3 of them had problems that stopped them reaching their potential :(
That quarterfinal against Brazil was such a disgrace, Colombia deserved to go through to the semis.
@@MikoyanGurevichMiG21 Yh at time I was convinced they'd goon to win the tournament even without Falcao as the main guy. They definitely wouldn't have lost 7-1 to Germany in the next round like that awful Brazil side without neymar lol.
i sometimes look back and inagine what couldve happened if falcao never got injured. He was at his peak form at atletico and arguably the best striker in the world.
@@anthonyvallejo9127 Agree , he was the best striker in the world then imo. No question
Great video, man. Would love to hear your thoughts on Arsenal so far this season and Martin Ødegaard's development. Keep the content coming!
Norwegian wonderkid 4 life what more to say?
Intelligent analysis and engaging video. Keep it up!
I literally looked up “what happened to James Rodrigues” this morning and then an hour later this is uploaded. Eerie! But in all seriousness, James was one of my favorite players after the 2014 World Cup and it’s so disappointing to see him unravel in this way.
James accomplished things that normal people dream of: played in Real and Bayern, won Champions League and championships and being a world class star for years.
After all these he went to Qatar to get money that normal people dream of ... and now he is living in one of the most beautiful countries and playing for her champion Olympiacos, being evaluated and appreciated as a God amongst humans.
Well done James 🤴⚽️🏛
A huge boost to his mentality was playing in the Argentinian league. It's rough and hard but very passionate, and produces lots of good players who strike the ball from afar and use aerial passing, since our fields are so bad playing a tiki-taka style is impossible. Had he stayed in Colombia he would have surely lost focus earlier in his career.
I will always love his position, such creativity and class will never go away in my eyes.
great analysis and very professional. not a boring passage in this video and nothing wasted. wondered what happend to James. i guess hard work is always better than talent
thanks for this video, I was mad confused on why he wasn't one of the most popular players today, he seemed to have it all
I remember watching him play week in & week out at Madrid. So slept on, he has one of the best left foots I ever seen & easily up there with Ozil in terms of crossing the ball… they guy was bending it like Beckham seriously! His free kicks were so damn good as well. I miss him at Madrid scorning bangers under Ancelotti. I was upset with the way Zidane treated him but it was due to Casemiro playing cdm & that did bring so much success… but James was just one of my 5 favorite player growing up.
Follow him religiously, and you nailed this video! subscribed!
Feels like you've been around much longer than two years, you're one of the best football channels in my opinion (even if you are a Utd supporter lol)
I don't care what anybody says i believe he was a gem and performed well as a 10 for Madrid
I think his personal life really affected his game. It’s not easy to have your partner leave you when your game is on the decline. Honestly feel bad for the guy
Great video
I am from Colombia, I really like your style I just subscribed
it's such a shame that no. 10s are not used in football anymore... they were bringing grace and beauty to the game; i think the creative attack-oriented football was way more enjoyable and brave than the speculation and counter-attack football that is played now, and this is not to say that I don't like defense... actually there were plenty of amazing defenders 10-20 years ago but i find this collective pragmatic defense, closing all the angles and aligning your players at the edge of the box is kind of a game killer
James was amazing at Everton, we loved him
Dude ur vids are great
Ayi baba, we've been waiting for your informative videos on football. Come back phela manje 😂😂 hawu
james is playning very well at olympiacos...yesterday i watched live a magnifficent goal that he scored !!!
Is he? After the goal he was angry being called to be subbed. Don't get me wrong, compared to other leagues in Europe.
The Greek Super League is weak compared to western Europe leagues but strong enough when compared to Eastern European Leagues. It used to be a League to start future careers by non european players who try to make their mark in Europe and other leagues. But it sadly, it wasnt the same as it used to be with its big signings, making the league look like a diet-coke MLS with many famous retiring players like Rivaldo, Rodriguez, Marcelo, Gatuso etc.
@@anthonythe1ne53 He was subbed because they didn't want him to get injured. The match finished 5-0...
@@antonis5999 Injured from whom? The defenders cant even defend and you expect me to believe that they can tackle
@@anthonythe1ne53 rivaldo was retired??the previous year got the golden ball.....also james is only 31 and he is not retired..and that is obvious from his matches with olympiacos...
@@anthonythe1ne53 homie Falcaos career was ruined by a 3rd or 4th division defender so yeah. Better to be cautious.
this vid hurts as a colombian
he was my favorite player in the 2014/15 season but when Zidane came he prefered to play with a dm in Casemiro instead of James which in the long run proved to be the right choice
great analisis.
As a greek I must say that now he really gives joy to so many fans here… people have evonomic troubles but on sunday james make them happy!!
James, Hazard, Coutinho, Isco, Özil the fall of the 10s hit these players super hard.
Sad
So what has come in the place of the traditional no.10 ??
@@thegift9948 nothing really more box to box midfielders like Valverde for example. that can attack and defend
@@platonicriot ok I see... I wonder how long this "new breed" will last... Will we ever see the return of the no.10??
@@thegift9948 idk probably not, the game is much faster and more physically demanding, and since teams rely more and more on tactics than individual performances
I'm curious if you think there was also a correlation regarding James' lost minutes and a general trend in world football towards fast pressing, counterattacking football. Players like James are a luxury for a team that can dominate and pass the ball, retaining possession to wait for the moment to strike. I would guess that he excelled in these types of set ups because it fit his playing style perfectly.
With Zidane coming in, maybe he brought with him some new tactics that exposed the weakness of James and preferred players that track back and have good defensive workrate. Obviously due to him playing in the Greek league at 31 the comments about his lack of work ethic could explain his drop in form, but I also think it was his lack of defensive capabilities and 1 dimensional play that pushed him out of the starting 11 at Madrid.
Feel free to be corrected. I don't follow Madrid and remember him playing well everytime I saw them in the Champions League so I may be completely wrong.
I get more triggered than I should, when people call these players 'luxury' players. They aren't luxuries - having top-tier (world class) ball strikers in your time isn't a luxury in competitive fixtures. It's a necessity. These players become 'talismanic', simply because it's so hard to replace around that talent... without having a superior talent.
The cream rises to the top, there's only 11 starting spots, and plenty of players get squeezed out (and plenty more should have been squeezed out, especially out of the Kaka-Isco-Ozil-James- era Madrid.
Some historic examples: Riquelme was indispensible for Argentina (holding out Messi for stardom, alongside many understudies) because he was an incredible ball striker of his own, preferred to Messi for all dead-balls. (There's not data for his whole career to make comparison. It's no surprise that Messi is over twice as effective as JRR10, in years comparable)
A forgotten maestro, Uruguay's Alvaro Recoba.. Juninho to Lyon... Aimar, Valeron to Valencia...
@@joachimschmidt7662 Thank you for the response. I agree that the term "luxury" is a bit uneccessary, but I didn't know what other word to use. Just based on my viewing of football and the change in tactics it's interesting that certain players seem to no longer be favoured after being considered best in their position.
For example, I'm a Manchester United fan and I kept feeling like something was off with Pogba where he went from being the highest purchase in the club's history to being called out for poor performance and poor attitude under Mourinho (who bought him). Now maybe this is just Mou being Mou, but I also feel like there was some underlying reason for his poor attitude and performance based around what was being asked of him.
Pogba in the years I've watched United (2005-now) was the second best long passer in that time (Scholes was number 1). I always anticipated magic and a class from his ball retention and intelligence to spot the runner and create a goal out of nowhere. The problem is Pogba doesn't track back and there was no good DM on the squad after Carrick retired to account for his defensive liability. So Mourinho dropped him for certain matches or played him in a more forward role where his talents maybe weren't best utilized, but it minimized his defensive failures.
What I'm trying to say is that players like Pogba get exposed and their 1 dimensional play is not good enough to cover for their other failures. Ronaldo, before he left United the second time, was also 1 dimensional and Ten Hag started dropping him because he was a liability, luxury player.
Complete teams can't afford players like that if they want to be competitive. I'm ignorant on James' career so I didn't want to label him a "luxury" player if that was taken as offense. It just seemed to me that players like James are being phased out fo the game and complete players are being favoured that can track back and have good defensive skills. It's the same with WIngbacks. Defensively responsible but creatively lacking wingbacks are ebing phased out in favour of wingers with defensive skills. Wan-Bissaka at United was a 50m purchase and will likely be sold because he is not as skilled as Dalot going forward despite being one of the best defensive players on the squad. I just think it's interesting to see the tactics and trends in players changing over the years.
Sorry for the long response and I appreciate the comment.
@@MistaZULE Hey bro, I wasn't trying to jump down your throat in particular :-)
Pogba counterpoint: Pirlo never really ever got dropped... well, not ever when he was regista (as a younger trequartista he did get dropped)... and as Juve manager doesn't count... A player with half the possible athleticism of Pogba, and I don't know, comparable prestige?
Milan always worked out how to keep the team balanced, so as to feature his talent. And that included having playmaking threats in front of him, as well as destroyers beside him.
You're right, that complete teams can't afford players like that, if they want to be competitive... but the next tier of teams down, certainly can't afford NOT to have these (incredibly talented) players... even the top tier teams, notice the assists dry up, for dropping their elite creators.
It's a problem as old as time. Pragmatism versus ideology. And managers (outside of a rare few like Ancelotti, Spalletti, add your own crushes) are overwhelmingly about that ideology. There are plenty of victories - I'm not watching a lot of football ATM, but I can think of one team with 36yo #10 that's been winning games - enough for the 'luxury player' narrative to be untrue. And every team without a class act - an Australia without a Rogic/Luongo, a Man U with a McFred McMidfield missing an injured Fernandes, a Newcastle looking to build [but they could play Jonjo Shelvey more ;-) ] - desires a class act.
I'm sure there's a moral in here for continuity between managers... roster development and management.. or maybe the moral is - FANS SHOULD PAY THE PLAYERS. Then we'll all see play, who we want to play :-) Imagine that 🙂
@@joachimschmidt7662 Awesome comment again. thank you for the response and I didn't take your original comment as a negative I just didn't want to use the term "luxury" if it had a negative connotation that upset people.
Pirlo is a great example of a guy so good that he could just walk the pitch and simply dominate teams. However, I think using possibly one of the greatest midfielders to ever play as an example is showing how talented you need to be to not have to play the full game. As well, I may be wrong about Pirlo as I don't watch Serie A and only saw him in the Champions League so I may be completely wrong on his defensive abilities.
You're definitely correct that every team needs to have that talisman player to lead the club on the pitch and inspire their teammates with their sheer talent. I thought Pogba was that but his attitude and injury history basically forced him out of United. He'll return to form at Juventus and become the world class player he is, but I think he did get exposed at United and showed his weaknesses.
Possibly completely wrong on this, but Modric again is an amazing player and never stops running in the midfield. I love watching him and you can see how hard he works fro Croatia when they lack the same talent as Real. In my opinion the players when playing with lower talent rise to the occasion and other players get exposed. Pogba in France is one of the greatest players currently, Pogba at United was a liability. Sorry for continuing to talk about Pogba but he is my best example of the type of player I'm talking about.
Really nice to hear your opinoins and I agree that sometimes fans should be able to influence signings and playing time, but obviously we're not that qualified and having a team of only attackers would cause quite exciting games, but not a lot of defense.
excellent content... 🙂
2014 we saw James at his peak and was balling at Madrid under Ancelotti. However like Özil and Mata, he failed to adapt to the modern game plus his injury record didn't help him. At Everton he showed glimpses of his talent but yet again injuries ruined him and with Benitez joining Everton he had to leave for Qatar and now plays in Greece.
As an Argentine I would love for you to do a video on Riquelme one day. He's a player who represents the beautiful game more than any other to many Argentines, even if you're not a Boca Juniors fan. His skill, ball retention, passing, free kick ability and creativity are still remembered fondly to this day 🖤 (also if you're curious about why we were so mad at Van Gaal in the world cup you should look up how he treated Riquelme and Di Maria 😒)
Pretty sure he has done riquelme
If Bayern Signed Rodriguez He May Have Not Faded Into Obscurity
*if james went to bayern
Thank you, the peace was very well written.
isco and james man those guys where my must buys on fifa back in the days.
it's like thiago or iniesta. i can just keep watching reels for hours
Interesting that Tony Kroos was also recruited to the Madrid at the same time as James but solidified his presence in the club. I know that they do not occupy the same role but can you do a video about how Tony succeeded his career in both both Munich and Madrid unlike James ? Would love to see that !
Kroos been class since he was 18! A pleasure to watch
Kroos is like Scholes he'll probably get better still
Kroos is more of a midfielder that tracks back rather than a forward mid fielder like James
Colombian players tend to be extremely talented but lack in the hard work and professionalism department. We've had more than our fair share of cases in Argentinean football, where Colombians tend to deliver amazing performances... when they feel like it. Their national team has earned a reputation of being "pecho frio", a team that doesn't give their best, specially when it's most needed.
It's all about the money in Colombian football. Once they start earning the European money, they fall off the wagon pretty hard
James had exactly the same problems on pitch as valderrama, although he was a better player
I was 13 watching the 2014 word cup. With it being my introduction to the sport, James was one of my favorite players instantly. I wish his time at Madrid worked out
Thank you