It certainly wasn’t the hardware James Rodriguez wanted to hoist at the start of the day, but it’s one that tells just as incredible a story.
The Colombian legend was named Player of the Tournament after picking up six assists, four more than anyone else, and netting a goal for Los Cafeteros in their incredible run to the Copa America finals.
Rodriguez, 33, was written off by most as a star of days past. His emergence on the world stage at the Brazil World Cup in Brazil gripped the football world, but his time at the peak was short-lived, unable to find similar degrees of success at the club level with top teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
By 2020, he was playing for a struggling Everton team in the Premier League then bounced around between Qatar’s Al-Rayyan, Greece’s Olympiacos and is now playing for Brazil’s Sao Paolo.
His best days were clearly behind him.
But he disproved all that over the last month, showing that he’s still got gas in the tank and that his best play was reserved for international competition.
Colombia proved a fearsome attacking squad, beating Panama 5-0 to open up the knockout stage with Rodriguez contributing two assists and a goal from the penalty spot.
He also picked up a helper on Colombia’s lone goal in the win over Uruguay in the semi-finals.
It’s a full-circle moment for the former phenom. From winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup in 2014 to being named the Player of the Tournament at the Copa America in 2024.
It’s been a roller coaster of a story for the Colombian wunderkind, and perhaps one that was given a supposed ending too soon.
