Everything is coming up roses for Colombian soccer player James Rodriguez. Despite visibly upset and in tears as his team had been eliminated from the quarterfinals stage in this year's World Cup, his stellar performance did not go unnoticed by FIFA and football powerhouse club Real Madrid.
The 23 year-old, who was arguably the breakout star of the tournament, had snagged the Best Goal of the Tournament thanks to his impressive volley against Uruguay in the Round of 16 match. This has been confirmed by FIFA on Monday, of which it revealed that the goal has earned over four million votes. This was apart from the fact that Rodriguez had won the Golden Boot in the tournament for scoring a record six goals, the New York Times said.
Rodriguez's volley became his signature move when upon received a looping header from Abel Aguilar, he chested the ball over his head, swiveled instantly and unleashed a volley towards Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's net. It is to note that although the Oranje's Robin van Persie was clearly the favorite of the match thanks to his header against former tournament champions Spain, Rodriguez has overshadowed the Dutch in this category.
Moreover, a couple of Spanish newspapers have also reported that Rodriguez's performance in the tournament aided in making one of the most expensive transfer in Portuguese soccer history. The midfielder had joined his current club Monaco just last year from Porto on a $60 million transfer, and Real Madrid might have seen the 23 year-old's value to its Spanish club and offered a whopping $108 to sign him in.
The New York Times said Rodriguez has already passed a physical on Tuesday in Madrid, and is expected to sign a six-year contract with the club. He is also set to join Real Madrid on August 1, which would be in time for the Spanish league's latest season. As to his jersey, published reports have said that he would be donning No. 10, which was Mesut Özil's number before he moved to Arsenal last season.
