James Rodríguez also fails to make it at Rayo Vallecano
In one month at the Spanish club, the Colombian has only played 30 minutes on the field and is experiencing the seesaw effect that followed him in Brazil: a standout in the national team, a reserve at the club
Voted best player of the Copa América, James Rodríguez left São Paulo , where he played only 22 games in one year, to play again in European football, having been signed with great fanfare by Rayo Vallecano. It seemed like a chance to return to being effective on a more consistent basis, and not just in sporadic appearances for the Colombian national team.
Exactly one month after his arrival at the Madrid club, the stigma of an irregular player seems to follow the talented 33-year-old midfielder. James took 20 days to make his debut, in the 3-1 victory over Osasuna, in the fifth round of the Spanish Championship, when he came on two minutes from the end.
In the following game, he came on midway through the second half in the 1-1 draw against Atlético de Madrid, and this Wednesday he did not leave the bench in the 0-0 draw with Girona. In his first month at Rayo, he has only played 30 minutes, including injury time.
Interestingly, between his presentation to Rayo on August 26 and his debut on September 16, James was once again with the Colombian national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and again with a prominent role: he came on at half-time against Peru and played in the equalizer in a 1-1 draw, and then played the full 90 minutes and scored the first goal in the 2-1 victory over Argentina. With 16 points, Colombia is second in the qualifiers.
Just like in his time at São Paulo, James’s seesaw effect – undisputed in the national team, reserve at the club – also raises questions at Rayo Vallecano. After the game against Girona, coach Iñigo Pérez justified the decision not to launch the Colombian.
– I believe that the players who came in had other characteristics to be able to sustain the result – explained the coach.
– If they insult me because I don’t select a player, I can’t do anything but accept it – he added.
Rayo returns to the field this Saturday, at home, against Leganés, and the rotation of the squad made by Pérez, who does not usually repeat the line-up, could help the Colombian. The coach avoided giving hope to the reinforcement and left the mystery in the air.
– I move around day to day, I don’t do the lineup on a sheet of paper – he said.
