Farewell in Brazil
The dramatic fall of the ex-Bayern star
February 8, 2024, 9:32 a.m
Football careers are not predetermined. Former world star James Rodríguez is currently proving this. He conquered the hearts of all fans in 2014, also made a stop at FC Bayern Munich in 2017 and fell ever deeper after his departure from the Bundesliga.
Former Bayern star James Rodríguez has once again lived up to his reputation as a short-time football worker. After just 14 games, one goal and three assists, the 32-year-old is leaving FC São Paulo at his own request. The former top star with the strong left foot no longer played a role for the reigning cup winners, officially for reasons of “load control”. In the Brazilian media this is considered a synonym for being overweight.
Rodríguez came to FC Bayern from Real Madrid in 2017 on a two-year loan deal; São Paulo was the Colombian’s fourth stop after leaving Munich. The Colombian played 67 competitive games for FC Bayern Munich over two seasons, scoring 15 goals and assisting in 20 more goals. Especially in his first season under Carlo Ancelotti and then Jupp Heynckes, he impressed in the central position in midfield.
Bayern does not exercise the purchase option for 42 million euros
In his second season, with coach Niko Kovač on the sidelines, he slowly lost touch due to injuries. FC Bayern decided not to sign the player permanently from Real Madrid. “It makes no sense to take the option against your will. You shouldn’t sign a player for a fee of 42 million euros with a corresponding salary if you can’t offer him a permanent position,” explained Bayern’s CEO at the time, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge June 2019. “That doesn’t make sense.” It was the beginning of the end.
Rodríguez’s star rose at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when he became top scorer with six goals. He then moved from AS Monaco to Real Madrid for 80 million euros, but was never able to really gain a foothold at Los Blancos, which is why he was loaned out to Bayern. Afterwards, in increasingly shorter intervals, he went on an odyssey via Everton FC, Al-Rayyan SC in Qatar, Olympiacos Piraeus and on to São Paulo, where he had only been hired for two years on July 26th last year through ex-Munich player Rafinha .