Barcelona manager Xavi has admitted he would have loved to have seen ex-Everton player James Rodriguez sign for the Catalan giants at the height of his game.
The Colombian of course made the £71 million move to Real Madrid following an impressive World Cup campaign in Brazil, finishing the tournament with the Golden Boot with 6 goals in 5 games, alongside 2 assists.
Some of Rodriguez’s best years were spent at the Bernabeu, where he lifted the Champions League on 2 occasions, as well as 2 league titles and a Supercopa de Espana.
Indeed, Xavi admits that James’ performances for Los Blancos had him wishing that they were La Liga teammates.
The Spanish World Cup winner said, “It’s a shame that James Rodríguez played for Real Madrid and not Barça, I wanted to see him play for Barcelona. He has a lot of quality and talent; he was capable of scoring great goals from any distance.”
There is no question of Rodriguez’s place amongst the best players of his generation, and Evertonians were treated to a glimpse of his frightening ability during the 2020/21 season, albeit from on the TV due to fans being unable to attend games throughout the COVOD-19 pandemic.
With 6 goals and 9 assist for the Toffees across 26 appearances, the Colombian settled into life on Merseyside with ease, reuniting with his former coach Carlo Ancelotti. However, injuries no doubt hindered the attacker, who departed after just one season at Goodison Park.
Carlo Ancelotti’s surprise return to Real Madrid ultimately spelled the end for Rodriguez at Everton, as Rafael Benitez replaced the Italian in the dugout, prompting the mercurial talent to make the move to Qatari side Al-Rayyan in 2021.
Had Carlo Ancelotti remained on Merseyside, perhaps Everton fans would have had the opportunity to see James in action at Goodison Park, but it wasn’t to be and the midfielder currently plays for Greek side Olympiacos.