UEFA Champions League Final: James Rodriguez’s fall from grace at Real Madrid and his relegation to the bench

As nerves start settling in for the last time on the night, the two Madrid sides will line up with their charges taking to the field to relive the glory of UEFA Champions League final at a stadium as legendary as the San Siro. This is the stuff of dreams for everyone except James Rodriguez, who is living an absolute nightmare at the moment. The Galactico is now a bench warmer and life has gone all wrong for Real Madrid’s Colombian star when it comes to all matters on the pitch, and how!

James Rodriguez came into the Real Madrid side with a reputation well built, in the French Ligue 1 and Portuguese Primeira Liga over the years. The young star then stormed through the World Cup in 2014 and asked the whole world to sit up and take notice as he delivered a range of stellar performances at the heart of the Colombian midfield. At the very epicenter of every spotlight in the world, it was only a matter of time before Fiorentino Perez came calling and before long, James was signing for Real Madrid for a little over £60 million.

His performances in the debut season had been good and it was only an injury that prevented him from doing even better. With the next season came great hope and with the next season also came Rafael Benitez. Even though this may sound conspicuous, this marked the beginning of a very bad time for James at the club level.

He returned from the Copa America and was reported to have denied a request from Rafa Benitez to return to training a couple of days earlier than scheduled after his return. The Colombian found himself on the bench for the first game of the season and the rumours flew around as to his frosty relationship with Rafa Benitez. He did start the next game however and went off to international duty a satisfied man. He came back, however, with an injury that sent him to the sidelines where he remained all of 7 weeks.

Things start going downhill

Hereafter, it was all downhill for the South American. After coming back from injury, his fitness became the moot point of Rafa’s decision to keep him on the bench and bringIsco in the starting line-up. This, as expected didn’t go down well with the Colombian who kept coming on from the bench for these games.

Rumors started circulating that James spent way too much time soaking in the party culture at Spain and indulging in the nightlife. His wife Daniela was said to be in Colombia with their child, but it was said, that was for her stint on a reality television show.

Things went haywire when James started responding to Rafa’s continuous questioning of his fitness on Instagram. He put up photos of his completely well-built torso as proof. He even responded to Spanish Media about his fitness not being an issue at all.

James soon made it amply clear that he was not in line with Rafa Benitez’s line of tactical discipline and Rafa Benitez could have given James a run for his money when it came to work rate. During this time, Isco had cemented his place in the starting lineup and James’ performances for club dropped while his performances for country remained unquestionable.

Soon, the tide turned against Rafa Benitez as the Spaniard garnered blame for Real Madrid’s drop in form. Before long, there was a new manager at the Santiago Bernabeu and it was believed James’ fortunes would be refreshed too.

Things haven’t quite turned around under Zinedine Zidane either

A fresh start but no turn in fortunes

Alas! Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Benitez did not tend to differ as far as James was concerned as Zidane kept Isco in the starting lineup. Things started getting worse as the media tore into him for speeding recklessly that too with a car and not the ball at his feet, something that would get him booked by the police for a change. He was said to have been romantically involved with a Russian model as well with the media playing on his loneliness as a theme for his frequent partying, considering his wife was still in Colombia.

While James kept losing his cool and reacted angrily in public, his performances went from bad to worse and his standing was hit even further with a largely played upon disagreement with coach Zidane. The camera seems to have caught footage of Zidane in a La Liga game where James was angrily gestured at by Zinedine Zidane when Zizou realized that the Colombian was not warming up when he was clearly expected to. The media had a field week or two with that.

It only got worse when the media scrutinized his wife’s not mentioning him once on the television show she was a part of back in Colombia. Now James is sitting on the bench in the sort of game he was meant to star in not watch from the sidelines and unsure if his future lies at Real Madrid.

Perceptions change in a matter of years

A far cry from the intelligent, hard working boy who wowed the world with his feet not too long ago, James has fallen prey to the scrutiny that being a Real Madrid player brings with it. Very few can actually take the pressure both on and off the pitch. While the reports of an ill-disciplined lifestyle have been a far cry from the truth perhaps, the fact that such smoke may only emanate from, at the very least, some embers would suggest James should’ve been more careful.

On the pitch, he is no longer the star man and has to deal with playing second fiddle which is a shame for a player of his talent and ability. He is easily expected to do better and for all his issues off the pitch, should’ve done better this season.

The fame and money of a Galactico equivalent also brings with it a burden. The burden of discipline and adaptation comes with this life. It seems James Rodriguez has failed to live up to the burden and may find the need to change clubs to rekindle his club career unless of course, he chooses to dig deep and fight.

As of now, however, James Rodriguez is in a dark place and will find it tough to break out of this limbo. Unless something changes drastically in the next 24 odd hours, He is set to watch one of the biggest games in his life from the bench.