#2 Colombia (James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao and Jackson Martinez)
The reason why this slide is not dedicated to one single player and is instead dedicated to a whole country is because of the golden generation of Colombia, which has seen many supremely talented footballers grace us in the past decade – with James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao and Jackson Martinez particularly impressing as is reflected in the huge transfer fees that the trio have accumulated during the course of their respective careers.
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James Rodriguez
At only 25 years of age, Rodriguez has already been the subject of two astronomical transfers and if reports are anything to go by he is on course for a third before the end of this transfer window.
The Colombian was signed for €45 million by AS Monaco from Porto, during the little resurgence of the Stade Louis II outfit under Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, which also saw the arrival of his countryman Falcao among other famous footballers.
In the aftermath of a stellar World Cup 2014, where he was crowned the Golden Boot winner despite his team getting knocked out in the quarter-finals, Rodriguez transferred from Monaco to Santiago Bernabeu for a fee reported to be in the region of €80 million. The Colombian has not looked back since and had established himself as a regular starter for Real Madrid before the arrival of Zinedine Zidane at the helm of things.
Rodriguez has had to share game-time with Spanish international Isco and it is reported that the Colombian is looking for a move away from Madrid.
Radamel Falcao
Before the incredible fall from grace of Falcao, he was, without a doubt, one of the most feared and revered strikers in the world of football. Falcao’s reputation preceded him and it was not for nothing as the Colombian hitman had notched up 72 goals in 87 appearances for Porto which led to Atletico Madrid splashing out a club record €40 million for his services.
Falcao didn’t disappoint and racked up an incredible 70 goals in 91 appearances for Los Rojiblancos and this tempted Monaco to shell out €60 million for his services. However, it has all gone downhill for the Colombian following his move to the Stade Louis II outfit, especially after he tore his ACL which saw him miss out on the 2014 World Cup.
Falcao has lost a yard of pace, which helped him gain the upper hand over defenders when he used to sit on the shoulder of the last defender looking to make runs and score incredible goals, and that has reflected in his dismal returns during his stints with English Premier League sides Manchester United and Chelsea. Even Monaco are looking to get rid of the Colombian especially due to the astronomical wages that he commands.
Jackson Martinez
Jackson Martinez was a relatively unknown name in the world of football before his move to Porto in 2012. However, after impressing during his three-year spell at the Portuguese outfit, the Colombian has been the subject of two big-money moves over the course of the last 14 months.
First, it was Atletico Madrid, shelling out €35 million for the services of the 29-year-old in June last year. However, after a dismal stint which saw him find the back of the net only thrice in 22 appearances, Martinez was shipped to the fast-emerging Chinese Super League. Guangzhou Evergrande shelled out a then Asian record fee of €42 million for the Colombian. However, the 29-year-old is yet to hit the form he is capable of and has only scored 3 goals in 13 appearances for the Chinese outfit.
