Can James Rodriguez Rejuvenate Himself and Inspire Colombia at the Copa America?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 30, 2016

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James Rodriguez lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on the San Siro pitch and managed a grin. Less than 24 hours later, he strode out on to the field at the Santiago Bernabeu with a Real Madrid scarf draped round his neck, before giving a short, celebratory speech to the fans.

Winning the Champions League—his first and Madrid's 11th—before heading to the Copa America Centenario with Colombia sounds like the perfect end to the season and the start of the summer for James.

The reality, though, is very different. On the surface, he looked happy and calm, but a tide of emotions must have been turning underneath. He played no part in the Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid, sitting on the bench for the full 120 minutes plus penalties.



After the game, he spoke about his future, insisting he would like to stay with Los Blancos, despite a train wreck of a season.

Per Sport, he said:

I am happy here. All the people close to me are happy too. It's the ideal club and I want to be here. Yes, I would have liked to play but I did contribute to the team's success.

...

When you have bad times you also learn from them. Each day I learn more. I don't know [what I've been lacking] but I have to leave this behind and think about what is ahead of me.

And what is ahead of him is a chance to blow away the memories of this season by dazzling at the Copa America. In his rearview mirror are allegations of excess, being unfit and police cars.

Colombia have a tough group, drawn against Paraguay, Costa Rica and the hosts, the United States. None of the four teams is an outright favourite for the tournament, but all have assets that could see them go far.

James will instantly take the spotlight, as the biggest superstar on the pitch in the first game, which pits Colombia against the U.S. at the Levi's Stadium in San Jose, California, on Ju...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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