The stunning James Rodriguez stats Everton hope Ancelotti can help rediscover
Cast your thoughts back to the 2014 World Cup and Colombia are lighting up Brazil. Their free-flowing football has attracted a legion of admirers and, at the centre of it all, is James Rodriguez. Then 22, Rodriguez was sensational up until Los Cafeteros' quarter-final exit at the hands of the tournament hosts as his WhoScored rating of 8.43 attests.
Rattling in the goal of the tournament against Uruguay, Rodriguez had the world at his feet and the Golden Boot in his grasp. Considered one of the best young players in the world at the time, he secured a high profile move to Real Madrid from Monaco following the culmination of the tournament.
Working under the watchful eye of Carlo Ancelotti, Rodriguez took to LaLiga with ease. A WhoScored rating of 7.85 was the fourth best in Spain's top tier in his first season with Los Blancos as the Colombian and Ancelotti immediately clicked. Scoring 13 and providing 13 assists, Rodriguez was one of six LaLiga players to register double figures for both goals and assists in 2014/15.
🤨 Waiting for another reunion like... pic.twitter.com/bKW7PDlsXN
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) August 26, 2020
However, the following season, everything went a little pear-shaped for Rodriguez at Real Madrid. He effectively missed the first half of the 2015/16 campaign after sustaining a thigh injury in September and, by the time he recovered, Rafa Benitez, the man who had succeeded Ancelotti at the Real Madrid helm, was nearing the Bernabeu exit. Zinedine Zidane replaced Benitez and never really placed his faith in Rodriguez and, as such, he was allowed to leave for Bayern in the summer of 2017 where he would reunite with Ancelotti.
While it was brief, Ancelotti clearly has a knack for getting the best out of Rodriguez. The Colombian's WhoScored rating in league matches under the Italian is an impressive 7.81. That drops to 7.35 when factoring in league games he played under other coaches since 2013.
Now, over six years after his stunning World Cup, Rodriguez is closing in on a move to Everton. After struggling to consolidate a first team spot under Zidane last season, the 29-year-old creator is free to find a new club and, while Rodriguez has his suitors, it appears as though a reunion with Ancelotti is on the cards.
Having enjoyed his best league form with the Italian head coach in charge, you can understand Rodriguez's interest in linking up with Ancelotti once more, even if football fans will view the choice to swap Real Madrid for Everton as a significant step down. Yet now in the peak of his career, Rodriguez will be eager to get back to his best and, most importantly, playing regular football. Having the faith of a coach that clearly admires him would be a considerable draw having played under so many that clearly haven't held the playmaker in the same regard.
Injuries combined with a lack of faith from managers means Rodriguez hasn't started 20 or more league matches in a season since that stunning Real Madrid campaign under Ancelotti. Conversely, Rodriguez is just the statement signing Everton need to be making if they are to close the gap on the top six in the coming campaign.
Ancelotti has the star pull that means the Toffees can target a player of Rodriguez's ilk and, despite a lack of game time, the Colombia international will be an immediate upgrade on the creative talents at Goodison Park. Indeed, since his move to Monaco in 2013, Rodriguez has had a direct hand in 106 goals in 162 matches at a rate of a goal or an assist every 102 minutes in Europe's top five leagues. Under Ancelotti that figures drops to a sensational 85.6 minutes per goal contribution.
If anyone can get Rodriguez back to his creative best, then it is Ancelotti as he looks to sign the midfielder for the third time. While his career hasn't quite panned out as expected, Rodriguez is still regarded as one of the most feared creative players in the game and he may now get the chance to showcase that quality once more under a manager he trusts and crucially, one who trusts him, in Ancelotti.
It's unlikely that Rodriguez will replicate his exceptional 2014/15 season at Everton, but the Colombian undeniably has the pedigree to make a real impact at Goodison and make a long awaited move to the Premier League.
