The marriage between James Rodríguez and Everton has been dissolved. The thirty-year-old attacking midfielder is saying goodbye to European top football for the time being and will start working for Al-Rayyan in Qatar. The transfer has been confirmed by Everton, who have received an ‘undisclosed amount’.
Exactly one year ago, Marcel Brands managed to move James into a surprising transfer-free move to Everton. Carlo Ancelotti, then manager of the Toffees, had previously worked with the Colombian at Real Madrid and had a big hand in the transfer. James got off to a great start in Liverpool and already had three goals and four assists to his name after five Premier League games, but then things went downhill.
James struggled with various injuries that kept him sidelined for weeks on end, so that his adventure at Everton ultimately did not turn out to be the success he had hoped for. When Ancelotti decided to return to Real Madrid last summer, James also wanted to leave England. At Everton, the South American earned according to ESPN 11.5 million euros per year, which made Brands happy to cooperate in a transfer. In Qatar, the transfer market is open until September 30, allowing James to move to the Middle East.
James bids farewell to Everton with 26 appearances for the club, scoring 6 goals and providing 9 assists. With his transfer to Qatar, the midfielder says goodbye to European top football after eleven years. That adventure started for him in 2010 at FC Porto. After an excellent year at AS Monaco and a starring role at the 2014 World Cup, a top transfer to Real Madrid followed. He continued to play there until last year, with a two-year outing with Bayern Munich.
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