James Rodríguez, between shadows and uncertainty in Brazil: new mess in Sao Paulo and possible exit

James, who arrived as a free agent in mid-2023 at Sao Paulo, began to gain confidence in his calls to the Colombia selection and to play several games under the command of DT Dorival Junior. But the strategist left, and from one moment to the next, the man from Cucuta asked the team for a way out.

The situation did not go as he and his entourage wanted and he saw the need to continue in Sao Paulo under the direction of Thiago Carpini. However, the young coach was fired and the Argentine’s harsh hand came. Luis Zubeldia.

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Upon arrival, the DT did not want to comment on the subject James Rodriguez, but little by little it began to shed light on what was to come. At a press conference she demanded more work from him and stated that if she wanted to play he had to give more than his share.

“I am here to make decisions. If James is not here it is because I think other teammates need to be. I understand that a player like him will always be talked about, but I am clear about my profession, my responsibilities. A coach lives to make decisions. We work so that they are in favor of the group and that they are, for the most part, positive… He has to improve and gain physical condition, pace of playor,” he noted.

The captain of the Colombia selection, who did not even go to the substitute bench in the games against Águia de Marabá in Brazil Cup and in the victory against Vitoria in the Brazilian, It seems that he is not to the taste of the Argentine coach, who is willing to do without the talent and qualities of the Cucuteño.

The decision of Zubeldia It is clear, if he does not improve in training he will not play. This would be the reason why James Rodríguez was not called up for the match against Cobresal in Copa Libertadores, He didn’t even travel with the team to Chile.

From Brazil They are already talking about the departure of the Colombian who turns 33 on July 12. The journalist who covers Sao Paulo, Jorge Nicolastated that James’ days at the São Paulo club are numbered.

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James seems to have his days numbered, Zubeldia He is the third different technician who decides not to use it,” he said on his YouTube channel.

The Colombian does not count for the team, nor for the coach, and the board wants to get rid of one of the most ‘juicy’ contracts on the squad: they are looking for a way out for James, the communicator revealed.

​“I had said last week that James’ days were numbered. He would leave the team mid-year when Sao Paulo “waits for proposals to release it for free, without any financial complications, just to no longer have the cost of 1.5 million reais per month ($295,480),” he said.

In Colombia, press versions speak of the former Real Madrid is going to meet with the leaders of the Sao Paulo to reach an agreement to terminate the contract that keeps them united until June 30, 2025. The deal would benefit both parties and from the player’s entourage they are already looking for a club.

Now we must know what the Colombian’s cards are. According to a press version in Colombia, James would be being tested by National Athletic to face the second half of the year, but the information is not clear and it is a very complicated destination, due to the high salary aspirations of the Cucuteño.

The door that never seems to close is the Major League Soccer (MLS), a league in which several stars are arriving Europe and James Rodríguez might not be the exception.

At the time, when I didn’t want to continue Sao Paulo At the beginning of the year, there was talk of a possible arrival to the MLS and he was linked with el Real Salt Lake, but this lead faded and there was never a negotiation.

Besides, James would like the idea of USA, since his daughter Salomé lives there with her mother Daniela Ospina, the distance to see it would be closer and it would be much closer to the World Cup 2026the last challenge he wants to face with the Colombian National Team

“I don’t know where I’m going to retire, it’s a good question, I would like USA, It is a country that I like a lot, it would be closer to my daughter, who is in Miami, I love the culture there, I always go there on vacation,” he said a few months ago in a Twitch broadcast.
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And he added: “The idea is to play the United States World Cup and think things through. I want to retire in a big competition or in a good team, so take advantage of me and see me in these three years, which may be the last three years. I don’t know yet, I’m thinking about it.”
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​The idea is not to play until he is 40 like other world crashes, he wants to leave football and not for football to leave him. ​“I want to retire well. “I don’t want football to leave me, I want to leave it, not football to leave me, so I want to finish on a good note.”