Former Real Madrid star who spent one year at the Goodison Park James Rodriguez joined Qatar club Al Rayyan from Everton, the club announced on Wednesday. The details of the deal have not been revealed yet. 

Rodriguez played 26 games for Everton in the 2020/21 season. The 30-year-old scored six times and assisted on nine occasions.  

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Before joining Everton on a free transfer, James Rodriguez was a part of his ‘dream club’ Real Madrid since 2014. He was loaned to German giants Bayern Munich from 2017 to 2019. 

He joined Everton to play under the tutelage of former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. In an interview to ESPN Colombia, he had said, “I’ll say it with all sincerity that if Carlo weren’t here, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll say it with all my heart, he was one of the reasons for which I came.”

However, the Italian manager took over Real Madrid’s responsibilities in 2021. As per reports, that played a major factor in forcing Rodriguez to look for other options. 

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James Rodriguez had earned the goal of the tournament award as well as FIFA Puskas Award owing to his famous volley in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  He also won the Golden Boot for his performance in Brazil, following which Real Madrid signed him as its third most expensive transfer at the time.

With the Bernabeu club, Rodriguez won nine major trophies, including two Champions League titles and as many FIFA Club World Cups. During his loan stint in Germany’s Bundesliga he won five major trophies.

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Rodriguez comes from Columbia. He has left European football after spending over a decade in the continent. He has represented AS Monaco, FC Porto, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Everton. In over 350 appearances, Rodriguez has scored 100 goals and 126 assists, winning 23 major trophies with clubs and country.

Al Rayyan SC welcomed James Rodriguez with a tweet.

The Qatari multisports club is based at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Umm Al Afaei in the city of Al Rayyan.