We rarely come across players who upset the fans of two of their previous clubs with just one comment, and James Rodriguez has just done that without fail.
In a Twitch interview with Jaime Echenique, the Colombian clearly expressed that he is rooting for Liverpool in the Champions League final against Real Madrid and wants his national teammate, Luis Diaz, to lift the coveted European title in his first season at Anfield.
“Liverpool are playing very well and they have ‘Luchito’ Diaz, and I want Lucho to win the trophy. Real Madrid are so strong in these types of games, we have seen it in the quarter-finals and in the semi-finals. It will be tough. I have former teammates at Real Madrid, I love the club a lot, they have so much history in these types of games, but Liverpool can play a great match.”
Despite spending six years with Real Madrid, James was keen to back the Reds against his former club. Fans suggested James was spiteful because Zinedine Zidane didn’t trust him as much as Carlo Ancelotti, who was the manager when James joined Los Blancos in 2014.
James’ career didn’t take off exponentially as he would have expected as he suffered for game time in Madrid and was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich for two years, only to be brought back and sold to Everton in 2020. The tumultuous spell of six years in Madrid might have stirred unpleasant memories for James while commenting on Liverpool’s victory in Paris later this month.
Carlo Ancelotti has always kept the Columbian in high regard and ensured that wherever he went, James had a place next to him. So when Ancelotti started coaching Everton, the first thing he requested from the club was to bring James to Merseyside.
This didn’t sit well with almost as many fans. While making the case for Liverpool in the Champions League final, James disrespected Ancelotti and, more importantly, the Evertonian fans who have a staunch rivalry against their Merseyside opponents, Liverpool.
With one quick blow of his words, James had the entire fraternity of football fans typing hateful comments in full CAPS addressed to him for taking a stance that didn’t favour both his former clubs. Many questioned his loyalty and mentioned that he’s a selfish bloke who has no respect for the clubs he has played for.
But there was only a teeny tiny ray of support for James when some people complimented the Columbian camaraderie between Diaz and James and defended him for looking out for his friend and compatriot, Diaz.
But harsh criticisms, which seemed to be the popular opinion in James’ case, flushed these pleasant noises out.
Unfortunately, his comment comes when the 30-year-old is trying to pave a path back to European football. And after this statement, he’s surely made it tougher for him to convince many. James is currently withering away at Al-Rayyan in the Qatar Stars League.
