Colombia captain James Rodriguez has joined Mexico's Liga MX side Club Leon from LaLiga's Rayo Vallecano on a free transfer, both teams announced on Monday.

Local media reports said Rodriguez had signed a one-year contract with an option for another season.

James Rodriguez Leon transfer

¡SOY JAMES, SOY FIERA!

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There was a time when James Rodríguez had the world at his feet. After a sublime 2014 World Cup, his name was everywhere. Then, Real Madrid decided to sign him, and his global recognition and fame levels went wild.

James was a hot item and had enough sauce to become a king.

But suddenly, he did not. Circa 2017, the Colombian entered into a weird downward spiral that currently has him looking for a new gig. 

Former United States men’s national team manager Jürgen Klinsmann coached his first game for South Korea on Friday as the Taeguk Warriors drew Colombia 2-2.

Klinsmann was named the new manager of South Korea on Feb. 27. Friday, he faced his first test which was a friendly match against Colombia in front of the home crowd in Ulsan, South Korea.

The magical nights of Cody Gakpo just keep getting better and better. His consistency has evoked memories of another World Cup hero who has been the benchmark for World Cup performance since 2014. James Rodríguez’s magical tournament saw him score six goals in five games including one in each of his group stage matches.

Gakpo has followed suit for the Netherlands, scoring at the same rate in Qatar this year. Rodríguez’s month-long spell in Brazil changed his life ahead of his move to Real Madrid, could we see the same happen with Gakpo in 2022?

James Rodríguez is being praised as a hero in the Qatar Stars League after saving the life of a colleague on Jan. 8. The Colombian was playing for Al-Rayyan when Al-Wakrah defender Ousmane Coulibaly collapsed on the goal-line due to a cardiac arrest, just seconds after he sent the ball to a corner kick. 

James Rodríguez saves rival's life in Qatar

Reports say while everybody was panicking, Rodríguez ran to Coulibaly and performed a life-saving maneuver. The phrase is not an oversell — the doctors who took care of Coulibaly in the stadium applauded his intervention.

The first James Rodriguez Qatar goal was scored on Tuesday as the 30-year-old Colombian helped Al-Rayyan to a 4-2 victory in the Qatar Stars League. I still hear Peter Drury’s commentary of “my word this boy’s a star” from when James scored an absolute screamer against Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup echoing in my ear.

In 2014 it felt like James could conquer the Earth. In 2021 he’s scoring his first goal for Al-Rayyan.

América y Europa, dos continentes que viven el fútbol de manera distinta. Pasión de los hinchas o el fútbol de constelaciones y estrellas. La espontaneidad o la organización desmedida. La humildad o el lujo donde sobran los millones. Improvisación o coordinación. Pasantía o tesis de doctorado. Sueño o consagración.

El Océano Atlántico separa el nuevo del viejo continente. Unos 7.000 kilómetros de distancia corroboran las diferencias políticas, económicas, culturales y sociales que existen entre ambos. El fútbol no escapa a eso.

CONMEBOL: Como reza el tan trillado como vetusto adagio venezolano: “Caracas es Caracas, lo demás es monte y culebra". Aplicada al balompié: La eliminatoria de la Conmebol es la más atractiva, las otras eliminatorias carecen de la emoción y supenso que tiene la de la Conmebol.Cuando recién nos encontramos en el comienzo del proceso clasificatorio del ecuménico de la especialidad, resulta harto placentero disfrutar de una justa preliminar tan disputada como la que tenemos la oportunidad de observar en el continente sudamericano.