James Rodriguez Slammed by Eamon Dunphy After Cristiano Ronaldo Concession

Opinionated football pundit Eamon Dunphy has conceded he was wrong to criticise Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo but is unsure what his team-mate James Rodriguez brings to the table.

Dunphy is renowned for his brash views and was a member of RTE’s coverage team for Los Blancos’ 2-0 win over Roma on Wednesday. In typical style, the former Republic of Ireland international had some harsh words for underperforming stars, with Rodriguez the main subject of his ire.

“James cost €80 million after playing outstandingly well in the World Cup for Colombia,” he said, per RTE’s website. “The president bought him. At that kind of money, he's useless.”

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It wasn’t the best night on the field for the Colombian. He did have an influence on the contest with his intelligent passing and clever movement, but as we can see below courtesy of World Soccer Talk, overall it was a game to forget for him:

This season hasn’t been particularly memorable either. Not only has he been injured, Rodriguez has endured some undesirable moments off the field. As reported by Marco Ruiz of AS, the playmaker was chased by police after he was caught driving at 200km/h; he also reacted angrily to suggestions that he was overweight last month, per Nicholas Godden of the MailOnline.

The same could not be said for Ronaldo, who netted the opening goal on the night after some brilliant play down the left flank. Ahead of the game, the 31-year-old walked out of a press conference following questions about his goalscoring record away from home, so you suspect this strike would have been especially sweet for the forward.

One of his critics in the past has been Dunphy. but the pundit admitted that although he’s still not a fan of some of Ronaldo’s antics, he is a true great of the game:

"

For all his greatness, and he is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the game, the petulance and the histrionics don't endear him to the football lover; his greatness now for me redeems everything.

I used to really dislike him, and think he was a stain on the game almost. A brat, and I don't like to see a brat.

But he's great. His goals... I was wrong and should have embraced him from the start.

Athletically and football-wise, he is a great, great player. I don't think we've seen a goalscorer like him in the history of the game, certainly as long as I've been looking at it

"

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As we can see here courtesy of ESPN’s Paul Carr, the forward’s away record this season certainly doesn't look too bad overall:

While Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the most important players in this Real Madrid setup, it’ll be intriguing to see what new manager Zinedine Zidane does with Rodriguez in the weeks to come.

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With Gareth Bale injured, the Colombian has been given a run in the side, and although there have been flashes of genius, he’s struggled for consistency overall. Indeed, with a fully fit front line available in his first game in charge, Zidane opted for Isco over Rodriguez to be the creative hub of the side.

Still, to brand the 24-year-old as “useless” is a bit of a stretch. Only a few footballers on the planet have an eye for a pass like Rodriguez, and while he’s enduring a tough time at the moment in the Spanish capital, he’d be an essential part of any top team. Perhaps in the years to come he'll change Dunphy's mind, too.