Joining Rayo Vallecano, James Rodriguez Returns to Compete in the Spanish League

Jakarta, Todaysgist.com – Colombian national team captain James Rodriguez officially joined Spanish League club Rayo Vallecano on Monday (26/8/2024) after previously having the status of a free transfer player.

According to reports AFP From Jakarta on Monday (26/8/2024), Rayo Vallecano welcomed James Rodriguez with great enthusiasm, considering that this recruitment coincided with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the club which was founded in 1924.

“This star signing comes at a special time of year, as we celebrate 100 years of history, courage and glory for the club,” Rayo Vallecano wrote in a statement.

James Rodriguez, now 33, is considered one of the best Colombian players of all time, both for his achievements at national and club level.

In his career with the Colombian national team, James has appeared in 106 matches and scored 28 goals. He helped Colombia to second place in the 2024 Copa America and third place in the 2016 Copa America.

In addition, James also played an important role in bringing Colombia to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup.

At club level, James Rodriguez’s career has also been very brilliant. Starting his professional career at the Colombian League club, Envigado, he slowly rose to fame until finally landing in Europe in 2010, playing in the Portuguese League with FC Porto.

During his time at Porto until 2013, James won various titles, including three Portuguese League titles, one Portuguese Cup title and one Europa League title.

After his success at Porto, James continued his career in the French League with AS Monaco in the 2013-2014 season. His brilliant performances, especially in the 2014 World Cup, attracted the attention of Spanish giants, Real Madrid.

With Real Madrid, James Rodriguez reached the pinnacle of his career by winning nine trophies, including two La Liga titles, one Spanish Super Cup, two UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.

After six successful years at Real Madrid (2014-2020), including a two-season loan spell in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich (2017-2019), he won two Bundesliga titles and one DFB Pokal with the German giants. However, James Rodriguez’s career has since declined.

In 2020, James joined Premier League club Everton after his contract with Real Madrid expired. A year later, he moved to Qatari club Al-Rayyan and played there for a year.

In the 2022-2023 season, James continued his career in Greece with Olympiacos. However, inconsistent performance led to his release in 2023, and he was without a club until finally recruited by Sao Paulo (Brazil) in 2024.

Ambitious to return to playing in Europe, James terminated his contract with Sao Paulo in mid-2024, and that was when Rayo Vallecano brought him back to La Liga.

Individually, James Rodriguez has won numerous awards, including the Portuguese League’s best player, the 2014 World Cup’s top scorer, the Puskas award, and the 2024 Copa America’s best player.