It’s a mystery that James Rodríguez plays so little for São Paulo – 03/19/2024 – The World Is a Ball

Colombian James Rodríguez appeared once and for all in the world of football at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He was 22 years old.

After a successful spell at Porto (with a third Portuguese Championship title and a Europa League), where he arrived in 2010, the left-footed midfielder transferred to Monaco, in France.

In the second World Cup on Brazilian soil (the first was in 1950), James arrived as a starter and wearing the number 10 shirt. He made an immediate impact. As well as showing extreme skill with his left leg, he scored a goal in each of Colombia’s three group stage victories.

The best was yet to come in the round of 16, at Maracanã, against two-time world champion Uruguay. Colombia won 2-0, with two goals from James (pronounced Râmes), one in each half.

The first, a painting: he received a header from a teammate near the half-moon, killed it in the chest and sent it straight into the corner of goalkeeper Muslera.

James entered the quarter-final match as his country’s hope to eliminate the host. Very well marked, however, it didn’t yield the same as before. He even scored, from the penalty spot, when Colombia was already 2-0 behind, but it was insufficient.

That game, at Castelão, in Fortaleza, was the one in which Brazil won but lost Neymar, who took a knee to the back from Zúñiga that almost ruled him out of football permanently. Then, in the semi-final against Germany, it was 7-1.

James finished the World Cup as the top scorer, with six goals, which immediately earned him a move to Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs on the planet. It cost 75 million euros, at the time the fifth most expensive transfer in history.

Keeping the number 10 shirt, he would be teammates with “galacticos” such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Sergio Ramos, Casillas, Modric, Marcelo and Kroos.

James had good times at Real, he won some titles (two Champions Leagues, two Club World Cups, one Spanish Championship), however, due to repeated injuries or a drop in technical performance, he left the impression that he could have played much more than he did. .

So much so that, from 2017 onwards, his football started to lose all that charm. He played for Bayern Munich, Real Madrid again, Everton (England), Al Rayyan (Qatar) and Olympiacos (Greece) before arriving, boasting superstar status, at São Paulo in mid-2023.

This long introduction was necessary to reach the central point of this text: why, after seven and a half months, James Rodríguez played so little in São Paulo, which made him one of the team’s main stars, a difference in creating plays and in the midfield organization?

It’s a mystery. From what I read and heard throughout this period in the media that closely follows the São Paulo club, James was trying to acquire the best physical shape so that he could be used more frequently.

Since arriving at São Paulo, the Colombian has played in only 18 of 42 possible matches. He was not listed for 21. And he played from start to finish in one. I repeat: one. His average minutes per game is 43, or less than a half per game. Number of goals? Two.

Very little for those who receive monthly payments, according to websites that published the salaries of São Paulo players, around R$1 million per month. He is second only to Lucas Moura.

If the short time on the field is due to a lack of physical condition, it is a case to be studied in depth: it must be the record time for an athlete to get in shape.

But it wasn’t that. Why?

Because for the Colombian team, for which James continued and continues to be called up, the number 10 played regularly in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers (which will be in the USA, Canada and Mexico).

Of Colombia’s six qualifying games since James arrived at São Paulo, he, who is the team’s captain, participated in all of them.

With James leading the team, showing a high dose of desire and without appearing to have a serious physical problem, Colombia did not lose: three wins and three draws.

He started as a starter in four, played from start to finish in two, scored a goal and provided two assists (one of them in the triumph against Brazil in November). Your average minutes on the pitch in these clashes? 63.5, or 20 more than the one with the São Paulo shirt.

Therefore, it deserves an explanation one day that James was so little used by São Paulo, to be given by himself and/or the club.

Being unable to play is difficult to swallow. It is more plausible to say that the coach (formerly Dorival Júnior, now Thiago Carpini) prefers, in his scheme, to play other athletes. Maybe because James isn’t as mobile, maybe because he’s not a good scorer, maybe for another reason.

But, in order not to find a way to fit an athlete who has a different touch among the starters, it’s better not to have him. That’s throwing money away.

Carpini even commented, in February, on James’ situation this year, after he took charge of São Paulo. He stated that the athlete has been dealing with minor injuries (hamstring, calf) and is therefore unable to be fit to play.

Many fans must think that James is so-called “soft-bodied”, that is, he finds some excuse not to play. I prefer to discredit it, as it would be a tremendous lack of professionalism.

The point is that, when it comes to the Colombian national team, he is always in shape. This disturbs, generates distrust.

And it’s clear that, whatever the reason for James not playing as much for São Paulo, the club is getting close to zero value for money with someone who shone brightly… ten years ago.