Leaving Spain
14 bodyguards: Ex-Bayern star changes with extra request
Updated on January 14, 2025 – 10:44 amReading time: 1 Min.
James Rodríguez opens another chapter. The professional is now off to Mexico – with apparently unexpected wishes.
Colombian soccer star James Rodríguez has left Spanish first division club Rayo Vallecano after just four and a half months. The 33-year-old will play for Club León in Mexico. Both clubs announced this on Monday. The playmaker only moved to Spain on a free transfer in August and failed to score in six appearances for Rayo in the Spanish La Liga.
Rodríguez, who was on loan from Real Madrid to FC Bayern from 2017 to 2019, was introduced to his new club with a dramatic video showing him as a Roman gladiator – and that shouldn’t be the only curiosity about the move.
As the Spanish sports newspaper “Marca” reports, Rodríguez had requested a total of 14 bodyguards in advance of the negotiations. The reason for this remained unclear. In addition to this wish, he is said to have also demanded better players for the club and a house.
The Colombian national team captain became a star in 2014 when he secured the World Cup top scorer crown. In 2020 he left Real Madrid and then played for Everton FC in England and Qatar, among others. At the Copa America 2024, the 112-time national player was voted the best player of the tournament.