El Rayo transfers James Rodríguez to Club León of Mexico

The Colombian James Rodríguez stopped being a Rayo Vallecano footballer this Monday after agreeing to terminate the contract that linked him to the Madrid club until June 30, which reported the decision and the agreement with Club León of Mexico for the transfer of the player .

James Rodríguez has had a very brief time at Rayo Vallecano, a club he arrived on August 26, 2024 and from which he leaves just four and a half months later without having a leading role, adding 203 minutes of play spread over seven games (six in the League and one from the Copa del Rey), only two as a starter.

All the enthusiasm with which the Colombian arrived in Vallecas, ready to vindicate himself again in the Spanish League after being chosen best player of the Copa América 2024, has faded in a few months. From the beginning he was relegated to the background and his coach, Iñigo Pérez, has never seen him as a real possibility of starting and establishing himself in the eleven.

The last time he entered a call was on December 7

For his position in midfield and midfield, players like Jorge de Frutos, Unai López, Isi Palazón and Oscar Trejo have had more opportunities than him, something that has influenced his decision to terminate the contract and seek minutes away from Vallecas.

The last time James was called up was on December 7, 2024 to sit on the bench against Valencia. He didn’t play. Something that he did not do against Girona, Alavés, Athletic Club de Bilbao, Sevilla and Valencia, rivals against whom he watched the game from the bench.

Of Rayo’s first team, only one player has had fewer minutes than James Rodríguez (203). It has been the forward Raúl de Tomás (90), for whom an exit in this winter market is not ruled out if an offer arrives and the conditions are good for the club.

James’ departure opens Rayo up with the possibility of incorporating another offensive player into the squad, while for the Colombian his brief stay in Vallecas has not served to vindicate himself as he wanted after a journey that in the last seven and a half years has taken him to wear the shirts of the German Bayern Munich (2017-2019), Real Madrid (2019-2020), English Everton (2020/2021), Al-Rayyan of Qatar (2021-2022), Greek Olympiacos (2022-2023) and Brazilian Sao Paulo (2023-2024).