James Rodriguez Facts

Rodriguez holds the UEFA Super Cup which he won with Madrid

Despite being only 23 years of age, the Colombian sensation James Rodriguez displayed astounding maturity on the field in the recent World Cup, scoring a breathtaking six goals which deservedly won him the Golden Boot award. Following his astonishing performance in the tournament the whole world’s attention has turned to the youngster which is why I have compiled together these James Rodriguez facts.

It’s not just his incredible goalscoring abilities and speed that make him a great player but also his versatility. James is capable of playing as either a winger, playmaker or central midfielder making him a real asset to Real Madrid and the Colombian national team.

And now we explore his rise to the top. James Rodriguez was born on 12th July 1991 to Wilson and Maria Rodriguez in Cucuta, Colombia. He started his football career in 2006 with local club Envigado FC which has produced talents like Fredy Guarin, Dorlan Pabon and Juan Quintero before earning a transfer to Argentine side Club Atletico Banfield.

It was at Banfield where he began to discover his potential as a player. Rodriguez scored his first goal, which was a beautiful long range strike, against Rosario Central on 27th February 2008 helping his team achieve a 3-1 win. The goal made him the youngest foreigner to score a goal in the in the Argentine Primera.

Rodriguez’s heroics earned him a transfer to FC Porto, one of the most elite clubs in Portugal, where he played alongside fellow countrymen Fredy Guarin and Radamel Falcao. The youngster greatly impressed at Porto scoring 32 goals in 105 appearances which caused him to be transferred to Ligue 1 side Monaco for €45 million in 2013 making him the second most expensive Colombian footballer behind Radamel Falcao, who also got transferred to the same club last summer.

Rodriguez scored a notable 10 goals in 38 appearances for Monaco and that, combined with his impressive performance in the World Cup, earned him an €80 million move to Real Madrid. James is already finding his feet at Real Madrid and recently scored his first Los Blancos goal against arch rivals Atletico in Copa Del Ray.

Coming to his personal life James, who is a staunch Christian, was very shy as a kid and spoke with a stammer while growing up. His stammer left him after continuous visits to a speech therapist but the footballer still retains some of his shyness. Rodriguez was an intelligent student and even studied engineering at the Universidad Nacional Abierta (no wonder he engineers such beautiful goals).

The 23-year-old is extremely fond of a Japanese cartoon character named Captain Tsubasa and idolizes fellow Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Besides football, Rodriguez also enjoys basketball and has named LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers as his favourite player.

Rodriguez with his wife Daniela and daughter Salome

James, fondly known as El Diez (The Number 10), married his sweetheart Daniela Ospina sister of Colombia and Arsenal goalkeeper David in 2011 and has a daughter named Salome with her. The midfielder has a tattoo of his daughter on his wrist and is known to kiss it after he scores a goal.

The youngster boasts of an incredible physique and stands at 5 ft 11 in and weighs around 75 kgs. Rodriguez’s official shoe size is 10, the same as his jersey number.

Rodriguez wears size 10 Adidas F50 Adizero boots

Rodriguez’s current sponsors include Adidas who supply the footballer with their F50 Adizero boots along with Swiss food products manufacturer Nestle, Colombian beverage Pony Malta and shampoo brand Clear. His list of sponsors is sure to go up after his transfer to Madrid.

As we reach the conclusion of this James Rodriguez facts article I would like to say that the youngster still has a lot more to offer and will make the €80 million seem like a bargain in a few years. His place in the list of Real Madrid legends is guaranteed.