Has any team taken players without rhythm to the World Cup, or is James's case unique? We tell you
The World Cup is approaching and James Rodríguez's present is once again generating debate around his physical and footballing condition. In the recent friendly in which the Colombian National Team fell 2-1 to Croatia, the midfielder showed difficulties in maintaining a competitive rhythm, reopening the discussion about his possible role in the next World Cup event.
TL;DR
- James Rodríguez's current physical and footballing form is a subject of debate ahead of the World Cup, especially after a recent friendly where he struggled.
- Historically, teams have brought players to the World Cup with limited recent competitive activity.
- Examples include Roger Milla (Cameroon, 1990), Ronaldo Nazário (Brazil, 2002), Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982), and Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1994) who all overcame periods of inactivity or injury to perform at the tournament.
- Other cases mentioned involve players lacking club continuity, such as José Luis 'Tata' Brown (Argentina, 1986), and goalkeepers like Faryd Mondragón (Colombia, 2014), David Ospina (Colombia, 2018), Keylor Navas (Costa Rica, 2018), and Iker Casillas (Spain, 2014).
- Luis Suárez's (Uruguay, 2014) knee injury also meant he arrived at the tournament with fitness concerns.
- While James's situation is not unprecedented, his place on the Colombian squad is contested by other players, and the final decision lies with coach Néstor Lorenzo.