James Rodriguez indicators for brand spanking new membership and is unveiled in BIZARRE announcement video only a week after leaving Rayo Vallecano – having ‘demanded 14 BODYGUARDS, a home, and “better players”‘
- Rodriguez has joined the 12th club of his career and will face Chelsea this year
- Another club missed out after refusing his demands, including of 14 bodyguards
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James Rodriguez‘s nomadic career will continue in Mexico after the Colombian put pen to paper on a reported one-year deal with Club Leon.
The club confirmed the move with an announcement video in which Rodriguez, 33, plays the role of a Roman gladiator who wins the approval of the crowd and the emperor with a chest-and-volley combination.
It comes just a week after his contract with LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano was terminated following seven appearances all season. Leon have paid the Madrid-based club a symbolic fee of £0.84million, as per The Athletic.
Leon are the 12th club of his career, in an 11th country. In 2023 they won the CONCACAF Champions Cup, North America’s equivalent of the Champions League.
Over the summer he will find himself playing against Chelsea in Atlanta, USA in the Club World Cup.
According to MARCA, Rodriguez demanded 14 bodyguards and a house to sweeten the deal, as well as the promise to sign ‘better players’ – something his new team-mates might not want to hear.
James Rodriguez has signed for Mexican side Club Leon on a reported £5million salary
He played a Roman gladiator in his announcement video, impressing the emperor with a volley
The outlet also claims he is in line to bank almost £5m over the course of his contract.
He had initially looked like he could head to Junior de Barranquilla in his homeland but they were reportedly unwilling to meet these demands.
Rodriguez has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but struggled to nail down regular minutes and produce his form for Colombia in the club game.
After his sensational 2014 World Cup – including one of the best goals in the tournament’s history – he earned himself a big money move to Real from Monaco for £62million.
He made 125 appearances, though only 94 were starts across a six year stint on the books at Los Blancos, which featured a number of loan moves.
However, since a somewhat more consistent two years on loan at Bayern Munich between 2017-19, Rodriguez has moved around frequently, joining Everton, Qatari side Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos and, Sao Paulo, Rayo Vallecano, and now Leon.
Many of those moves have been short-lived, seeing contracts ripped up. He was the highest-paid player in Everton’s history on around £220,000 per week, scoring six goals in 2020-21 under Carlo Ancelotti.
However, it was at Al-Rayyan that he admitted to feeling ‘afraid’ after struggling to adapt to the culture.
Rodriguez joined Real Madrid for £62million in the wake of his stunning 2014 World Cup
The Colombian spent a season playing at Everton under Carlo Ancelotti in 2020-21
He left Al-Rayyan in 2022 after admitting he felt ‘afraid’ and struggled to adapt to life in Qatar
He ended his time with Brazilian giants Sao Paulo after only 12 months in 2024
The Colombian would spend only seven months at Olympiacos before ripping up his contract
He is one of Colombia’s greatest-ever players, having been their star of the 2014 World Cup (pictured in 2024)
‘Life and culture in Qatar are very difficult, it was a country where it was difficult to adapt,’ Rodriguez said on the Brazilian TV channel Globo.
‘You know that in football everyone is naked when they shower, but my team-mates told me: “You can’t do it like that”. I was afraid.’
He added: ‘Everyone there eats with their hands, which was difficult for me. They shared it with me and I said, “No thanks”. I asked for cutlery and they told me: “No, with your hand” and I replied: “You guys are crazy, I won’t eat with my hand”.
