3) James Rodriguez
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It’s not hard to feel some pity for James Rodriguez. Real Madrid spent a bomb to bring the 2014 FIFA World Cup star from AS Monaco, but have then proceeded to not even offer him the chance to shine. James’ troubles have been amplified under Zinedine Zidane, with inexperienced youngster Marco Asensio, Mateo Kovacic and Isco preferred over the Colombian.
Much like what the sight of a buffet does to a starving man, James Rodriguez must feel similarly when he lays eyes on the Colombian shirt. Jose Pekerman’s side faced a tricky encounter against Venezuela, but James shrugged off his club troubles to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
He opened the scoring with a calm right footed finish after Bacca laid off the ball to him, showing greath strength to hold off his marker. James followed that up with a stunning solo run to assist for Colombia’s second goal. However, he was brought back to earth when he missed a penalty in injury time, but it was academic, with Colombia now rising to 3rd in the CONMEBOL standings ahead of their game against Brazil.
