How Much Time does James Rodriguez’s Career Have Left?

No name in the recent history of Colombian soccer has fallen as fast as that of James Rodríguez. The midfielder went from playing for a top Premier League team like Everton in a matter of a couple of years to a disastrous campaign in Qatar, in which his management was heavily criticized by the press.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Al Arab press accused him of faking his injuries so as not to play. “The few matches he played in did not live up to his terrible ambition. Unfortunately, instead of diligence, participation and playing, he emptied himself of claiming injuries over and over again… He escaped from games or training sessions with false arguments of injuries so as not to participate," claimed the media.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it was a disappointment for this team. In his nearly year and a half playing for Al-Rayan, he barely featured in 15 games, with only 5 goals and 7 assists to his name. His time at Everton was almost the same and with this team he played 26 times, getting 6 goals and 9 assists. Although it seems that his production was the same on paper, keep in mind that the Premier League is a much more competitive league and a much higher production was expected from James at Al-Rayan.

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Now, James plays for Olympiacos in Greece, a team that is on a mediocre streak, so much so that they have just fired their coach Carlos Corberán. In the Colombian's debut with the Athens team they lost 2-1 against Aris and although he was seen with a good physical level and made good passes, he also lacks practice. The almost six months that he has not completed two full games are playing against him.

How much time does James Rodriguez's career really have left?

James has mentioned in interviews in the past that he would like to retire at 34 or 35 years old. At the moment he is 31 years old, but seeing the decline in both the quality of his skills and his health, it is difficult to know if he will be able to achieve that goal. The figures are alarming: since April 2019, Rodríguez has had a total of 21 injuries. The one born in Cúcuta has had problems in his calves, hip and ligaments. It is worth thinking that, taking into account these problems, his career could be much shorter than what the Colombian 10 has in mind.

On a more subjective side, consider that James must also think about his legacy. Going from team to team without a name does not look good for what was once considered the best soccer player in the Andean country, no matter how much money he can earn.