Fansided

10 players with the most to prove

By Harvey Cruz

20180327 - Brussels, Belgium / International Friendly Game : Belgium v Saudi Arabia / "nEden HAZARD"nPicture by Vincent Van Doornick / Isosport
20180327 - Brussels, Belgium / International Friendly Game : Belgium v Saudi Arabia / "nEden HAZARD"nPicture by Vincent Van Doornick / Isosport /
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BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – MAY 25: James Rodriguez of Colombia kicks the ball during a training session open to the public as part of the preparation for FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 on May 25, 2018 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images)
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – MAY 25: James Rodriguez of Colombia kicks the ball during a training session open to the public as part of the preparation for FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 on May 25, 2018 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images) /

5. James Rodriguez

James Rodriguez was the standout player at the 2014 World Cup, even if he missed out to Lionel Messi for the Golden Ball. The worldie he scored against Uruguay in round of 16 was the highlight of the tournament, and his performances earned him a big-money move to Real Madrid. Since then, however, things haven’t gone so well.

Rodriguez was restricted to a role off the bench after Zinedine Zidane took over at Real, and left the club for Bayern Munich ahead of 2017-18, his World Cup display by then a distant memory. The move was a good one, as Rodriguez scored eight and assisted 14 goals for Bayern in all competitions, looking once more like one of the world’s best.

While he shouldn’t be blamed for his failed stint with Los Blancos, there’s no better opportunity to announce his reemergence than on the stage he dominated four years ago. Colombia are in an intriguing, evenly-matched group along with Poland, Senegal and Japan, but one they’ll be confident of winning.

Los Cafeteros haven’t come close to matching their exploits in Brazil in the two Copa Americas since then. That’s not entirely down to the fact James Rodriguez was sitting on the bench at the Bernabeu, but it couldn’t have helped. This a chance for Rodriguez to show the world 2014 wasn’t a fluke.