James Rodriguez Reveals How Florentino Perez Motivated Him to Join Real Madrid
James Rodriguez joined Real Madrid in 2014 as one of the most sought-after players in world football. The Colombian was simply exceptional during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
He won the Golden Boot after scoring five goals, including a sensational strike against Uruguay. Rodriguez has now revealed how Florentino Perez helped him join the club.
He claimed that Perez told him a move to Los Blancos would see him hunt glory. That made the Colombian make up his mind and move to the Spanish capital from AS Monaco.
Gol De James Rodriguez A Uruguay por los Octavos de Final de Brasil 2014 🚬 pic.twitter.com/RfgYYvwvmy
— Expe (@Expefutbol) December 26, 2023
Speaking to FOOTBOOM, Rodriguez said:
Florentino told me: 'What do you want? Glory or money?' That's why I signed for Real Madrid. In the second or third game of the World Cup, Mendes told me that they wanted me but was afraid I'd lose focus. I said 'What?' Then I scored one goal against Japan and two against Uruguay; it was the opposite. I played better.James Rodriguez
Rodriguez also revealed that Real Madrid fans still love him. He said:
They still love me a lot in Madrid, they ask me why I left, that means I did things well, I performed at a very high level.James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez made 125 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 37 goals and providing 42 assists. He also played in European football for Bayern Munich, FC Porto, and more. Rodriguez is currently playing for Liga MX side Club Leon.
Rodriguez won nine trophies with Los Blancos, including two UEFA Champions League and two La Liga titles.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.