One of the most highly-anticipated football games is the Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The big talking point ahead of this semi-final encounter is James Rodriguez’s run-in with his former side.
The Colombian left Los Blancos – albeit only on loan – last summer after falling down the pecking order under Zidane. With the French tactician in charge, the former Monaco ace found playing time hard to come by, thus forcing him to leave.
His struggles at the Bernabeu last season are best highlighted by comparing his 2016/17 stats with his numbers this season. The campaign might not be over, but Rodriguez already has more minutes under his belt this time around than he did last term. The Colombian was only awarded 1,824 minutes on the field by Zizou. At the Allianz Arena, he is at 2,199 and counting.
Although the South American sensation has featured in only one more game this season so far, he no longer rots on the bench with the Bavarians. In what could soon be his final season in Madrid, the 26-year-old made only 20 starts in all competitions for the Merengues but has already enjoyed 25 starts with the Bundesliga champion.
His current numbers are not impressive and do not come close to his figures from his debut season with Real Madrid. However, it should be noted that James only started truly flourishing upon Heynckes’ return to the club at the beginning of October.
As a result, his six goals and 12 assists in all competitions for die Roten might not be great, as he netted eight and assisted 12 in 2016/17, but it is a sign of improvement. The Colombian is on the rise and could show Real Madrid what they lost in Wednesday’s clash.
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