In the opening weeks of what felt like a never-ending 2020-21 Premier League season, James Rodriguez and Everton appeared to be a match made in heaven.
The Colombian’s brilliant performances were a catalyst for the Toffees surging to the summit of the table and playing some thrilling attacking football.
But come the end of the campaign, after a succession of injury issues for Rodriguez and with Everton finishing in 10th after a few months of turgid football, the club and the player don’t seem quite so well aligned.
That came to a head this week. Rodriguez was absent for Wednesday’s game with Wolverhampton Wanderers due to fatigue and then after it was confirmed he wouldn’t be available for the season finale against Manchester City, the 29-year-old posted a picture of himself on a jet heading back to Colombia.
✈️🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/tPNeSmIayQ
— James Rodríguez (@jamesdrodriguez) May 22, 2021
🇨🇴James Rodriguez was given permission from Carlo Ancelotti to travel back to Colombia to prepare for this summer’s Copa America
James hasn’t seen his daughter in almost a year pic.twitter.com/gNBSIofEt2
— 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 (@EvertonNewsFeed) May 23, 2021
With the Everton team still technically in the fight for European football going into the final day, the social media post didn’t go down well with a lot of supporters, who have been increasingly frustrated by Rodriguez’s absences in the second half of the campaign.
In Colombia, he’s received criticism too. Carlos Gonzalez of Marca Claro (h/t Sport Witness) said the playmaker “seems to be alright to rush back to Colombia to join up with the national team” and accused him of “living in his own world, far from reality.”
With the Copa America to come this summer, Rodriguez is unlikely to be far away from the public eye at any point in the coming weeks and Evertonians will monitor his performance and fitness levels closely. For many, the player has chosen to prioritise his country over his club.
Now, plenty are asking what happens next with Rodriguez, who is likely to be as fragile as he is fantastic, making him difficult to build a settled team around.
While there’s yet to be any significant speculation linking the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich man with a move away from the club, it feels like what happens with Rodriguez, who has a year left on his deal at Goodison Park, will be one of the main talking points of a vital window for the Toffees.
James. fatigued.80 of football in weeks.!!!!!! injured !!!!!! mans a money grabber, does NOT deserve the ROYAL BLUE JERSEY
The Goodison greats will be spinning in their graves with this fellow and his carrying on,s
Doesn’t matter how much talent you’ve got………if you haven’t got the ability to work hard, support your team mates and respect the club that is paying your wages, then you are no good to anybody. This over-hyped waste of space needs to be let go. He is extra baggage Everton can do without.
I agree wholeheartedly with Alan and Ian Colquhoun. Couldn’t have put it better myself.
If he can’t play for his club then surely he shouldn’t be playing for his country. what are the medical team doing. I say can’t play then don’t pay their wages.
He is a sunshine player, can’t take British weather. Send him packing we do not need the likes of him. Money 1st all the time.
Waste of space! Apparently went missing at last two clubs in winter.Got to be bad for dressing room.He takes the p–s!!
So disappointed how this turned out. He looked to be a new golden vision at the start.
Who cares about Neverton tho? Ur a bang average Lot.
If I were Hames, and had no ambition anymore, I would also join a English mid table side and farm some sweet Paychecks, pretend to be injured half of the season, and then its off…to the well deserved Beach. 😀
The man has not seen his daughter that lives with his ex wife in Colombia and has been committed to the team all year. He has a nagging reoccurring calf injury all the way back to when he had to miss the last world cup game against England. It is his left calf and it makes him struggle with playing at his quality, and makes him slower, so what is he supposed to do? Play through and then draw criticism for losing his quality, Or sit out and draw criticism for being soft. They need to fix his calf, thats the solution.
No matter how talented or well paid you are, a persistent injury can erode motivation & ability to give your best. Having just read that he has not seen his daughter for over a year, I can begin to understand where his head might be. When interviewed in the past, he says that his favourite place to be, when not at football, is being at home. Clearly then, not a playboy, but a family man. Well paid… certainly, talented…. No doubt, but still a human being with real feelings. Perhaps his problem is more a mental issue, rather than a calf injury & Carlo is doing the decent thing, as the decent man he is, to help his player with his problem. We can only hope that he returns, safe & sound, fully recovered from injury & ready to give his best for his Manager & team.
I imagine now that he would not have left Madrid / Munich if an easy fix was possible. The transfer terms would appear to support a situation that Ancelotti knew about and was happy with. Unfortunately we expected too much of him not knowing the facts.