James Rodríguez and Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, in the circle of the major European leagues

ames Rodriguez and Juan Guillermo Cuadrado They finally found a destination and were confirmed by their new teams, putting an end to the uncertainty. James returns to Europe, to Spain, and will play for Rayo Vallecano, the team where Falcao García played. Cuadrado stays in Italy and will now begin his adventure at Atalanta, the same team where Duván Zapata and Luis Fernando Muriel were recently.

This is good news for both teams, as they remain in Europe, in two of the most important leagues in the world, albeit with different challenges.

James’ performance is satisfactory considering that he was in Brazil, where he was not playing for São Paulo, and now he will be back in the Star League, where he was already at his best with Real Madrid. James, at 33 years of age, has just had an extraordinary Copa América with the Colombian national team, confirming that he is still in good form and that if he regains continuity and is injury-free, he can maintain a high level this season.

James, however, will not have the biggest challenges in European football, as Rayo, Madrid’s third team, has no title aspirations in Spain (last season they finished 17th), they have no international competition and their objective is clear: to stay in the first division and give good performances in the championship, putting the powerful on the ropes, just as they did in the Falcao era.

In Spain, James will have the best showcase, the greatest competitiveness, he will face the best teams and opponents, he will have matches of the utmost importance such as the duels against Real Madrid, Atlético, Sevilla, Villarreal, Valencia, Barcelona (they face each other this Tuesday but the Colombian will not be present yet).

“I always have that responsibility wherever I go. I am a player who likes to win and I hope to do things well in this important year for this beautiful club. I really want to dream and do great things,” said James.

What is expected of James, who will earn around 3 million euros per season, according to press reports in Spain, is that he maintains his rhythm, that he plays, that he does not have any differences with coach Inigo Pérez and that, hopefully, he can compete at the highest level physically, given his history of injuries. If this is the case, it will be very good for the Colombian national team, which will announce its list of players for the qualifiers this week.

Coach Pérez is already setting himself the challenge of getting the most out of the ’10’. “Now it’s up to me to try to make him feel comfortable, to get the best out of him. My ability has to be evaluated at the end of the season. We’re happy that he chose us… He’s a player who interprets the game well, he’s at a very high level and he’ll surely do well in any position.”

Cuadrado remains in Italy

On the other side is Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, who at 36 years of age will have a new challenge in Italy, the league that has welcomed him best. In Serie A he has already played for Udinese, Lecce, Fiorentina, Juventus and Inter and now he wears the shirt of a team that in recent years has maintained a significant competitiveness in Italy (it is the current runner-up of the Cup) and in Europe (current champion of the Europa League).

For Cuadrado, at his age, the most important thing is to stay current and, why not, get back on the radar of the National Team, which he left due to his injuries in a year that he himself described as “the most difficult of my career due to the injury.”

Cuadrado posted on his social media: “Despite the options we had, we fought until the end to stay at the highest level, and thank you Jesús for having achieved it.”

Cuadrado is known for his ability to contribute as a full-back or a winger, and Atalanta needs him in that dual role. Staying in Europe and in Italy, an environment he knows very well, is a great achievement for the player at this point in his career, when there was even speculation that he might consider returning to the local league. In addition, this is a team that will play in the Champions League this season.

PAUL ROMERO

Sports

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