Colombia’s Breakthrough Player

James David Rodríguez Rubio broke into the scene when he became the first Colombian player to win the LPFP Award for Breakthrough Player of 2011–12 Primeira Liga season at age 20.

He has several accolades that fill up his kitty: he bagged the SJPF Player of the Month, not once, but twice; he won the Portuguese Golden Ball award in 2012, becoming the second Colombian to achieve that feat. His transfer to Monaco for 45 million euros makes him one of the most expensive players in world football today.

Born and raised

He was born on July 12, 1991 in Cucuta, Colombia. It was here that his love for soccer blossomed.

In 2007, Rodríguez was part of the Colombia U-17 team that finished runners-up in the 2007 South American Under-17 Championships, where he scored three goals. He also played a part helping Colombia advance to the knockout stages during the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Young footballer

Rodríguez’s emergence in the Colombia national football team started with the U-20 national team, where he was captain of the 2011 Toulon Tournament-winning side. He captained the U-20 team during the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Rodríguez scored his first senior national goal against Peru in a 1–0 victory in less than 6 months after his debut.

International debut

His international football career began when he was selected into the Colombian senior side against Bolivia on October 11 2011. He was selected as the man of match, thanks to his impressive performance including the initiation of the goal scored in the last minute by his former Porto teammate Radamel Falcao, which allowed a 1–2 win for Colombia.

Before Monaco

James kickstarted his professional football career with Colombian second division club Envigado FC, post which, in 2008, he was signed by Argentine team Club Atlético Banfield, where he made his team debut on 7 February 2009. On 6 July 2010 Rodríguez was signed by FC Porto for €5.1 million. In the 2011–12 season, Rodríguez scored 14 goals for Porto.

Life in Monaco

On May 24 2013, Rodríguez joined French side AS Monaco for a transfer fee of €45 million, making it the second most expensive transfer in Portuguese football, behind former teammate Hulk. He signed a five-year contract keeping him at the club until 2018.

Rodríguez ended his debut season managing to help Monaco secure a spot in the following season’s UEFA Champions League, and earn a place in the star Ligue 1 X.I