James Rodriguez Reportedly Angers Real Madrid with Comments on Colombia Duty

Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez is reportedly set to find himself in hot water over comments made while on international duty, in which he insinuated he does not have the full backing of the club.  

While representing Colombia, the midfielder stated he was performing better on the international stage than domestically because “when you play and have everyone’s support it’s easier,” per Enrique Delgado Bejarano of AFP (via AS). They’re comments that reportedly haven’t gone down well at the capital club.

“Above all, Real are believed to be angered by the timing of the comment, particularly given the crunch matches on the horizon, first against arch-rivals Barcelona in Saturday’s El Clasico, and then against Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-finals,” wrote Agustin Martin of AS.

According to Sport, the Cafeteros star is set for a “telling off” by Los Blancos. “James' latest quotes could end up costing him, with the riot act set to be read,” the piece continued.

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Real are pondering whether or not to move Rodriguez on this summer, according to Martin, with the club also unhappy about his apparent requests for a bolstered contract and suggestions earlier in the season that the player was overweight.

It’s certainly a shame that there appears to be tension between the two parties. After all, during his debut term, Rodriguez’s abilities were a breath of fresh air at the Santiago Bernabeu. This season has been a little more difficult, but as we can see here, there have still been some standout moments for the former Monaco and Porto star:

As is evident by these details from OptaJavier, while his performances have been uneven for his club, in the Colombia setup he remains very much the creative crux of the XI:

Despite his talent, creativity and penchant for producing the spectacular, Rodriguez looks unlikely to feature in the clash with Barcelona on Saturday. Manager Zinedine Zidane will want a team that is combative, cohesive and willing to work hard for the cause; up to now, the 24-year-old has yet to show he’s capable of ticking those boxes.

There’s still time for him to prove he can. At his best there is certainly a position for Rodriguez in this Los Blancos attack, with his play a superb supplement for the powerful, direct style of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

If there’s veracity in these reports, it seems he has a long way to go to bring the club back onside, though.