Sense of Déjà vu in Vallecas
September 2021 - Rayo sign a veteran Colombian star who previously plied his trade in the Spanish capital.
August 2024 - Rayo sign a veteran Colombian star who previously plied his trade in the Spanish capital.
The date may be different but those two sentences are the same because Rayo Vallecano have only gone and done it again. Three years after signing Radamel Falcao on a free transfer, Rayo have taken another Colombian superstar out of free agency. On Monday, Los Franjirrojos unveiled their marquee summer signing, confirming the arrival of James Rodríguez on an initial one-year contract.
Rodríguez is following in Falcao’s footsteps
Rodríguez has arrived in Vallecas just two months after his international teammate said his goodbyes. Falcao spent three years with Rayo after returning to the Spanish capital in 2021. The 38-year-old had previously stopped off in LaLiga in 2011, enjoying a successful two-year spell with Atlético Madrid before heading off to the principality of Monaco. Falcao was unable to replicate the heights he reached with Atleti when he returned to Spain, but he still managed to contribute 12 goals in 80 competitive appearances for Los Franjirrojos.
Falcao has departed for Millonarios in Colombia and has seemingly passed the baton to Rodríguez. Like Falcao, Rodríguez has returned to the Spanish capital after previously playing for one of the big Madrid sides. While Falcao represented Atleti, Rodríguez featured for their bitter rivals Real Madrid.
His standout performances at the 2014 World Cup, including a Puskas Award-winning goal against Uruguay, helped earn him a move to the Santiago Bernabéu. Rodríguez went on to make 125 appearances and win multiple honours with Los Blancos, but his time at the club petered out to an anti-climatic conclusion, spending two years on loan at Bayern Munich before playing very little football in his final campaign with Real Madrid.
Can Rodríguez still produce the goods?
The attacker has struggled to find a permanent home since leaving the Bernabeu, having spent the last four years playing for Everton, Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos and Sao Paulo. Having moved from club to club and experienced numerous injury issues in his career, there is a sense that Rodríguez has failed to realise his true potential despite winning top-flight titles in four different countries.
However, the 33-year-old recently demonstrated at the 2024 Copa America that he is not ready to walk off into the sunset just yet. The Colombia skipper showcased his undoubted quality to register six assists and one goal to help his country reach the final where they were narrowly beaten by Argentina.
When will James Rodríguez make his Rayo debut?
Having seen Rodríguez unveiled as the latest member of Iñigo Pérez’s squad, LaLiga fans will now be eagerly anticipating his Rayo debut. However, those hoping to see the Colombian in action against Barcelona are set to be disappointed. Pérez has indicated that Rodríguez will not be ready for this evening’s clash after enjoying a break following his Copa America exploits. He could make his bow in Saturday’s clash against Espanyol or Pérez may opt to wait until after the international break.
Whenever he does make his debut, it will be his first La Liga appearance since featuring in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in June 2020. Now, Rayo may not possess the world-class talent of Real Madrid but they do have the technically gifted Isi Palazón, and the thought of watching Isi link up with Rodríguez feels like a purist’s dream. And Rayo supporters are certainly in for a real treat if Rodríguez can produce the level of performance he showed at the Copa America earlier this summer.