James Rodríguez's 2014 World Cup volley became the first to win the Puskás Award
Against Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup round of 16, James Rodríguez chested the ball down and volleyed it in off the bar. The strike was voted goal of the tournament and then won FIFA's Puskás Award, the first World Cup goal ever to do so. He finished as the tournament's top scorer too.
Born in Cúcuta on 12 July 1991 and raised in Ibagué, the son of a former footballer, Rodríguez started for the Colombian club Envigado in May 2006 at just 14. Two years later he moved to Argentina's Banfield, where he became the youngest foreigner to debut, score and win the league. His goal against Newell's Old Boys helped Banfield take its first championship in 113 years, and the sports site Olé nicknamed him the James Bond of Banfield.
Porto bought him in 2010 for €5.1 million, but only part of him. Investors held slices of his economic rights, and in November 2010 Porto sold a 35 percent share to a Luxembourg company for €2.5 million, then paid €8.75 million to buy that same stake back in 2013 as his value soared. On the pitch he collected trophies, including the Europa League, and in 2012 became the youngest player ever to win the Portuguese Golden Ball. By 21 he had won eight trophies in three years.
After a season at Monaco, where he led Ligue 1 in assists, the 2014 World Cup carried him to Real Madrid. His first season brought 13 goals and 12 assists in 29 games and La Liga's best midfielder award, followed by a league title and two Champions League wins. Loans and moves took him to Bayern Munich, Everton on a free transfer in 2020 and a string of shorter stays, before he joined Atlético Nacional in Colombia.
Across the 2010s, analyses of Europe's big five leagues placed him top for combined goals and assists per game among midfielders. With 131 caps he holds Colombia's appearance record, and in 2014 he helped the team reach its first World Cup quarter-final.
Source: James Rodríguez
