James Rodriguez, the former Real Madrid midfielder, has made a phenomenal claim that he was better than the footballing legends, Zinedine Zidane, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Xavi at the best time of his career, MySportDab Reports.
James gained international fame through his impressive run at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he had eight total goal involvements (six goals, two assists) for the Colombian National Team.
He was the first player since Brazil’s Jairzinho in 1970 to score in every World Cup game in which he appeared. His performances won him the tournament’s Golden Boot, although he missed out on the Golden Ball to Lionel Messi as Colombia went out in the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid took notice of his exploits in Brazil and promptly signed him on a reported £63 million transfer from AS Monaco. James had a mixed spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, making 125 appearances, 94 of them as a starter contributing to 37 goals and 42 assists.
He spent four seasons in Madrid, where he won nine major trophies, including two Champions League victories in 2016 and 2017, before being loaned out to Bayern Munich.
James left Madrid in 2020 and had spells with Everton, Olympiacos and Rayo Vallecano before his move to the Mexican club León. But in the latest episode of his podcast, the Colombian midfielder said that when he looked back on his time in Spain, he was not afraid to say he had been better than some of the sport’s all-time greatest midfielders at his best.
“Zidane was very good. But in his prime he won the World Cup… James. I’m in my prime,” he asserted, James. When asked: Xavi, Kroos, Modric or you, he gave the same answer, backing himself over the legendary playmakers.
James also hailed Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, predicting he would go on to win the Ballon d’Or one day. Since moving to Madrid, the England international has been nothing short of a revelation, leading them to LaLiga and Champions League glory in his first season.
Looking back on his own near-miss for the Ballon d’Or in 2014, James admitted he was up against fierce competition from Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, Neymar and Luis Suarez, and only managed an eighth-place finish. Nonetheless, he is proud of what he does for a living.
