[gentle music playing]
[James Rodríguez] I believe there were four words I learned along the way.
Passion. For what you do, for who you are.
When Colombia loses, that's on me.
When Colombia wins, that's the whole team playing well.
But I guess, someone's always gotta take the blame, right?
That's the way it is.
Hope.
When we don't win, it's my fault. But that's okay.
Because if you don't have hope, you can't have dreams.
I'm ready, I'm always ready.
Respect. For what you do, for other people.
[man] Cocky!
Nothing was handed to me on a plate.
[man] Fucking curse now, motherfuckers!
[James] I think the last word would have to be…
love.
With those four words, I think you have everything.
[announcer] James, bicycle kick!
Goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal!
[music fades]
EPISODE 2 JAMES VS THE WORLD
WORLD CUP, BRAZIL
[Guerrero] After wishing the World Cup, and feeling they deserved to be there,
expectations for the Colombian team were high.
[reporter] It's a Colombian party in Belo Horizonte. Who had the best goal?
The cup is Colombia.
James Rodríguez, he's the best!
[James] I dreamed of having a great World Cup,
but it went even better than I could have hoped.
All of Colombia is still celebrating victory for the national team!
[Guerrero] We conquered our fear of defensive teams
in the opener against Greece.
JOURNALIST
We conquered our fear of aggressive teams against the Ivory Coast.
Will you ask me about what happened in the third game?
COACH
Japan.
He told me, while he was playing in the World Cup, he said…
SPORTS AGENT
…"I want to play for Real Madrid."
[atmospheric music playing]
[James] I remember Jorge Mendes told me right before playing Japan, he said,
"Real Madrid wants you, but please, don't say anything."
"And please, stay focused."
"Please, I need you sharp, I need you focused."
I said, "Jorge, relax, relax. It won't affect me."
I did what I call "pulling a Pékerman."
2014 COLOMBIA VS JAPAN GROUP STAGE
We'd already qualified for the next stage.
Now we wanted to give everyone on the team a chance to play.
Everyone had contributed. They all deserved to play.
GOALKEEPER
He started on the bench for that game.
[announcer 1] Here's Adrián, he's after the ball.
Oh! He's taken down! And it's a penalty! Penalty!
-[announcer 2] Penalty. -[announcer 1] Penalty.
It's Cuadrado. Cuadrado shoots! And it's in!
Goal for Colombia! Colombia in the lead!
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 1 - JAPAN 0
Honda, lifts the ball. The header from behind…
[Ospina] The first half ended 1-1.
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 1 - JAPAN 1
For the second half, the coach made a few changes.
And one of them was James.
[James] José had planned out every minute of every single match.
It was impressive.
I had the game planned in my head,
so I was able to visualize the game days in advance.
"You'll come out for the second half, and you'll score the goals."
[announcer] A huge moment for James. James with his left, finds Martínez.
Martínez shoots! Goal for Colombia!
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 2 - JAPAN 1
A miracle goal by Martínez! Goal for Colombia. Goal for Colombia!
James to Martínez. It's wide open!
Here's Martínez, he beats the defender!
Left foot! Goal for Colombia!
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 3 - JAPAN 1
James, take your shot!
James stepping up!
Here comes Colombia's fourth!
What a goal, James! What a goal!
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 4 - JAPAN 1
[festive music playing]
[Buscalia] There was this electricity in the air.
It was a party. Every game felt like a celebration.
[Ospina] The response back home, they'd tell us about it.
It was overwhelming.
There was a huge amount of joy in Colombia.
Across the country, fans were flooding out into the streets.
[Guerrero] That's when it really hit us just how incredible it was,
once we realized we made it to the round of 16.
Colombia! Colombia!
This is a party! You can't even hear yourself speak!
2014 COLOMBIA VS URUGUAY ROUND OF 16
[reporter 1] Colombia and Uruguay faced off in a South American duel
in the round of 16.
Colombia, with a perfect score, reached the second stage of the World Cup.
[reporter 2] This is a decisive moment for Colombia.
What does the team have to do to stay in the Cup?
In these kinds of games, everything.
They have to do everything right.
There's no room for mistakes at this stage in the tournament.
[reporter] In the spotlight now at the top of his game is James Rodríguez.
Uruguay and Colombia will go head-to-head in the round of 16
to determine which South American team will continue and which will go home.
I was with friends, home in Colombia. I was nervous.
SOCCER PLAYER
I always get more nervous when I'm off the field than on it.
Well, I wanted to be there so badly, it hurt that I wasn't.
[Pékerman] The Uruguayan team, they're rivals.
They had more experience than us at the World Cup level.
[atmospheric music playing]
It's hard to imagine beating Uruguay in a big game like that.
MOTHER
Even having the crowd behind us, scoring goals against Uruguay is not easy.
[sudden music sting]
[crowd exclaims]
[inaudible]
[announcer] James Rodríguez, winning hearts with his play and goals.
James hits it with his left foot.
The cross! It's blocked.
[James] You're focused on where the ball is.
On where you need to be so your team can pass to you.
[announcer] Aguilar.
[James] I was focused.
I think Abel had the ball.
[announcer] He plays it to the center, leaving it for Aguilar.
[James] I knew the goal was behind me.
-[announcer 2] Pass the ball to James. -[announcer 1] Back to Abel. To James…
[crowd exclaims]
[announcer 1] James!
In that moment, you're not thinking at all.
[announcer 1] An instinctive reaction.
One to take, one to hit! Bang!
[announcer 2] James Rodríguez!
[announcer 1] What a strike from James Rodríguez!
Like a real Colombian, tough as nails!
What a goal.
He worked his magic.
Flawless control off his chest.
He set it up perfectly for the left.
The ball looked stunning in the air.
SOCCER PLAYER
Unbelievable, that was such a goal.
A spectacular goal.
[lively music playing]
[crowd exclaims]
Wow! What a goal. That goal will change history.
He's insane, how did he score that?
He's gonna be the best player in the tournament.
[announcer 1] What a goal from James!
A masterpiece! Like a Picasso!
-[announcer 2] My word, the boy is a star! -[announcer 1] Colombians, come together!
ROUND OF 16 COLOMBIA 1 - URUGUAY 0
[announcer] Come together as one heart!
[Falcao] It was the best goal of the World Cup.
And it happened in the round of 16.
We all talk about that goal against Uruguay…
JOURNALIST
…but James had two goals against Uruguay.
[announcer] Cuadrado brings it down with-- Here it comes! James!
ROUND OF 16 COLOMBIA 2 - URUGUAY 0
It's a goal! It's in!
It's in! That goal was overdue!
Thank God!
[James] I scored two goals against Uruguay.
It was like the… the cherry on top.
In a World Cup and in football,
you don't have time to enjoy these moments and really take them in,
because everything is happening so fast.
[announcer] And the star of the tournament, James Rodríguez…
[Mendes] That World Cup. That was James's World Cup.
That cup was the tournament that propelled James to these great heights.
He won Best Goal, no? He scored the most goals, was that it?
-He was the top scorer. -[interviewer] Both.
And he won the Ballon-- Oh, right, the Puskás. That's right!
JAMES' 2 GOALS SEND COLOMBIA TO QUARTERFINALS
[reporter] Jamesmania.
JAMES, I LOVE YOU!
I felt like I had the world in my hands.
[reporter] The award FIFA gives for the best goal of the season.
PUSKAS AWARD FOR BEST GOAL
[Guerrero] Front pages everywhere, everyone was talking about James.
And I remember thinking, "The star of a World Cup is Colombian."
I remember feeling very calm about everything.
We still had another match to focus on.
[Pékerman] It's going to be a really difficult match for both teams.
The semifinals are another level.
It's a huge leap, and we have to meet that.
It's safe to say that this is the decisive match of the tournament.
[crowd cheering]
[reporter] This Colombian team could knock out the host nation.
Why not dream of a place in the semifinals?
2014 COLOMBIA VS BRAZIL QUARTER-FINALS
[Pékerman] Then came Colombia vs. Brazil.
After our performance, we were looking like the favorites.
[Marcelo] We didn't get much time to study or train.
All that we had time to do was to watch game footage
and try to find a way to beat Colombia.
[announcer] It's going to be different.
The Brazilians are determined to win a World Cup on their home soil.
We had some attempts where we couldn't score.
And then on one of the first set pieces…
[announcer] Thiago Silva gets a foot to it!
QUARTER-FINALS COLOMBIA 0 - BRAZIL 1
Goal!
They managed to score a quick goal.
[Ospina] Colombia pulled things together in the second half.
And took control of the game.
We had goal-scoring opportunities.
There was controversy with Mario's goal being disallowed.
[James] The truth is the referee was calling for fouls that weren't fouls.
And they were fouling me.
Five, six, seven very clear fouls.
But when I commit one foul? Yellow card.
[inaudible]
And David Luiz scored from a free kick,
something I don't think he ever did again in his whole career.
He gets it up and over! Great goal from Luiz!
COLOMBIA 0 - BRAZIL 2
David Luiz! Goal!
After that goal, there were 20 minutes
where they could have easily scored two or three more,
'cause we had lost our composure.
We were falling apart.
[announcer 1] And Carlos Bacca is on for Colombia.
-Penalty for Colombia! -[announcer 2] Yes. It's a penalty.
-[announcer 1] James. -[announcer 2] James on his left foot!
Goal for Colombia! Goal for Colombia!
QUARTER-FINALS COLOMBIA 1 - BRAZIL 2
We scored with, I think, 13 minutes left.
I had never seen the Brazilian crowd that nervous.
The stadium was silent, biting their nails.
Colombia kept pressing, pressing, pressing…
[Buscalia] It was a very even match, played on equal terms.
[Ospina] We had this hope of… of qualifying for the semifinals.
That match was brutal because… I mean, everything happened.
[tense music playing]
It was a match where we gave it our all until the end.
[crowd exclaims]
[ref blows whistle]
I think we left with a bad taste in our mouths
because we thought this Colombian team could have done so much more.
[Ospina] At the end of the match, it was a painful feeling.
It was heartbreaking because we were this close
to making it to the very end.
It felt like we were still in it, but we weren't.
[Buscalia] Finishing fifth at a World Cup is very difficult.
And Colombia had watched the last three World Cups from home.
I don't show my emotions much.
I told myself, "I'm not gonna cry. Keep it in, keep it in, keep it in."
When the match ended, and I was alone…
When I was alone, I broke down and started crying like a little kid.
In the locker room, I cried for at least 25 minutes.
You know, men… Men cry too.
Especially when you feel something so deeply, so strongly.
I'm sad about it.
Even with all the sadness and everything,
what still makes me happiest is James leaving as the top scorer.
[bittersweet music playing]
[crowd cheering]
COLOMBIA NATIONAL TEAM OUR HEROES
[cheering]
They welcomed us as if we had won the World Cup for Colombia.
[lively music playing]
Colombia had never been in the quarter-finals.
We were welcomed home like we were heroes, you know?
Because we had gone out and tried to free our country.
THANK YOU, TEAM
You see, Colombia is a country that… that always grows through conflict.
Through adversity.
The Colombian National Team has always brought the country together.
Bringing Colombians together in spite of all the country's problems.
Falcao, we love you!
[cheering]
[children chanting in Spanish] There they are, the team from Ibagué!
[thoughtful music playing]
[James] It was always my dream to play for Real Madrid.
[María] Congratulations!
[James] I remember watching Galácticos when I was a kid.
[María] Good job, honey. Very good, son.
I had offers from other clubs, but I said,
"You know, the Real Madrid train only comes by once, and I'm getting on."
[upbeat music playing]
That was the word on the street.
SOCCER PLAYER
There's this guy named James, who has the natural star power.
He's the one who really made the difference for that team.
COACH
I think we played against him when he was still at Porto.
And I remember he scored a goal on us.
And then, after the World Cup,
we started talking about bringing him here to the club.
We were already hearing a lot about James, right?
I'm from Porto and followed his career.
[Marcelo] The classic number 10.
He's an old-school player, with class, with elegance.
But he's modern at the same time.
Today is a day that James Rodríguez will certainly never forget.
[reporter] Colombia's golden boy is now a global superstar.
And here we see the Colombian star arriving at the medical center
where he'll undergo his medical examinations.
James Rodríguez's arrival at Real Madrid…
[reporter 1] Real Madrid's new player.
Today is a day that'll go down in the country's history.
Not Colombian football history, Colombian history.
MADRID, SPAIN
James Rodríguez is already enjoying his new life as Real Madrid's newest star.
[reporter 2] And we're here at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
People are going crazy.
-He's so handsome, long may last. -And may he marry me!
James fever, Real Madrid fever
are sweeping across Colombia and across the globe.
[reporter 1] James will wear the prestigious number 10,
a jersey number reserved only for the greats of world football.
[reporter 2] There's already talk of Jamesmania.
[Florentino Pérez] The boy who longed to wear Zidane's jersey,
Raul's, Ronaldo's, Beckham's or Roberto Carlos',
is now a football player for Real Madrid.
["El Pibe de Mi Barrio" by Doctor Krápula playing]
[María] It was his childhood dream, as he's said time and time again.
Lots of Colombian press.
Of course, lots of international press too.
-[music ends] -[camera shutters clicking]
A childhood dream come true.
To play for the best team in the world.
But it's also a turning point in his life.
He couldn't have imagined all the lessons he still had to learn.
I dream of winning things here.
And I dream of staying here and playing for many years.
Because it's a winning club, and I'm a winner too.
The most important person for a player is the coach.
The coach is fundamental and formative in a player's career.
[lively music playing]
When he arrived at Real Madrid, there were great expectations.
All of Colombia wanted him to play for Real Madrid, as a starter.
[Edu Aguirre] James is a starter…
JOURNALIST
…in his first official match with the club.
[crowd cheering]
Ancelotti was clear. He liked James, he put James in.
[Ancelotti] I think that, as a football player, James is special.
He had an innate talent, still has, something special, and always will,
because DNA doesn't change.
[James] Carlo is someone who…
I think he forms a bond with his players. That's why they perform so well under him.
That's why he's always won titles.
Because he connects so closely with his players.
So, with Carlo, there was that relationship.
Like a father and son.
[crowd cheering]
Here was a coach who brought out the best in James.
And that version of James at Real Madrid was the best James we ever saw.
[announcer] James, bicycle kick!
Goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal!
I mean, that World Cup goal wasn't a fluke.
It's no accident that he's so loved in Colombia.
It's no accident everything he's done at Porto, at Banfield, at Monaco.
He's a star.
[announcer] What a goal!
[James] The most important thing is that we won
and that we keep going down this same path.
It's a dream come true, isn't it?
To be here and to have an entire stadium shouting "James."
It was the perfect club for him. Without a doubt.
[reporter 1] The winner of the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Brazil…
[reporter 2] James Rodríguez on the world's biggest stage.
[Buscalia] His rise was meteoric.
Suddenly, he's Real Madrid's number 10.
He shows up at the White House of football and kicks down the front door.
[Tomás Roncero] Because that jersey weighs heavy, very heavy.
But it didn't weigh on James.
JOURNALIST
He played with assists, with goals.
[announcer] And he sends in the cross. Shot from James! What a goal!
I'm someone who, when someone takes a chance on me,
I give them my all.
So, when I had the chance to play on his team,
every time he was at the wheel, I think my effort really showed.
[announcer] One-two. A beauty! What a goal! Goal!
[Cristiano Ronaldo] I think he's a top-tier player.
He has a lot to give to this jersey.
He's still very young.
It seemed like he'd been there for years, because he didn't feel the pressure.
He was scoring goals, making assists…
[announcer] Marcelo sends it in! Goal!
He brought this passion to perform.
Even during training, we could see this, this grit.
This determination that he has.
And he adapted well. He adapted really well to Real Madrid.
[crowd cheering]
I've always had this mindset of proving to myself that I could do it.
If I was at Real Madrid, it was for a reason.
I knew I was there because of my effort, my talent, and my ability.
So I all I had to do was keep doing what I've always done, prove myself.
[reporter 1] He is widely considered to be a good husband and father.
He's handsome, charming, and even a good dancer.
Characteristics that, according to the newspaper,
have turned him into a sex symbol.
[reporter 2] James Rodríguez, showing off with his wife, Daniela Ospina.
The Colombian, who has just resumed her professional volleyball career,
has chosen a tight black dress, accented with a golden belt.
[reporter 3] And you moved to Spain. How was that?
[Daniela] Awful. I love Spain, but they were really hard on me.
DANIELA OSPINA 2025 INTERVIEW
-[reporter 3] The press. -[Daniela] Yes.
They called me a "travesti", ugly.
It was tough. It was hard, really hard.
I swear, sometimes I look back and think,
"How did I get through that without being completely depressed?"
But I think my time in Spain has been one of the times
that has had the biggest impact on my life.
Especially because I was still so young.
[reporter] Cristiano Ronaldo's birthday party
took place in this restaurant.
Inside, several of his teammates. Pepe, Marcelo, Coentrão, Keylor Navas,
and James Rodríguez, who came on crutches due to his recent surgery.
A big celebration that will still be talked about.
I think James had to deal with the fact
that he was no longer a topic only in sports media.
And now, he was, let's say, a target for the media in general.
Entertainment news, national news.
I think that's when James' life really changed.
For him and his family, for sure.
[reporter] The Colombian player for Real Madrid, James Rodríguez,
has been fined 10,400 euros for fleeing from the police
after he was caught driving over 120 miles per hour.
-That's a lie. It was 140. No. [laughs] -[interviewer laughs]
Just kidding, just kidding.
I was going 110, and I was about to turn into the club.
I saw them, and I said, "Fuck no."
And it became a meme. [laughs]
And I was the punchline in the locker room for four days straight.
James was trending on Twitter every single day.
For anything.
He went to a party, he was late, he was working.
He was driving too fast, he got a ticket.
For anything, you know?
Things any player, or anyone in the world, might do.
And at that point,
whatever you achieve short of becoming the best player in history
is going to be criticized.
[dramatic music playing]
[reporter] Last Monday, Ancelotti was dismissed because,
according to Florentino Pérez…
The pressure is at its highest.
We believe it's time to try a new direction.
The thing is, with that coaching change,
that's when everything started to go downhill.
[Pérez] Rafa, my friend, welcome to Real Madrid.
[Aguirre] These were two coaches whose styles couldn't be more different.
I mean, Ancelotti tried to be a father figure to his players,
while Benítez is all about tactics, tactics, tactics.
Chalkboard, laboratory.
With Benítez, I think from the very beginning,
we were just butting heads.
Uh…
I didn't like the way he thought.
He didn't seem to like the way I thought.
And at Real Madrid, there was that friction and that… and that break.
There was a match where I was playing well.
He subbed me out around minute 60.
And I made a few hand gestures, you know.
And the whole stadium turned on him.
He felt like I had turned them against him.
James is a good guy. He's a serious guy.
We talked it out. He explained what happened.
And there's nothing more to say.
I'll tell you it's a private matter, and that's that.
James' reputation took a hit
because a coach arrived who didn't understand him.
And from August to December, Real Madrid was a disaster.
But of course, Benítez had just arrived.
WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON WITH JAMES?
The press couldn't lay it all on a new coach, so they blame James too.
And well, when the media starts putting all that out there,
saying all these things about you,
that you don't train, you don't take care of yourself, you don't--
If they only knew how it really was in those days.
Today, we have made a difficult decision, especially difficult for me.
We will terminate Rafa Benítez's contract as first-team coach.
I'd like to welcome the new coach of the first-team, Zinedine Zidane.
Rafa Benítez was out. [exhales]
We all relaxed, and Zidane appeared and we said, "It's the perfect match."
For me, it was a beautiful thing to play under Zidane
because I had watched him play since I was very young.
He's a unique player with incredible class.
Incredible talent.
But Zidane didn't play him.
I'm not surprised about Benítez,
because he preferred the more European approach.
But Zidane, the way Zidane played, his style matched James.
And still James wasn't playing.
We've been keeping an eye on James since Benítez benched him.
The relationship didn't seem good.
In Zidane's first two matches,
he has chosen to start Isco over the Colombian player.
[James] With Zidane I trained well.
When I played, I did things right.
I played great matches, scored goals, made assists.
And then, when it came to the, I guess, "important" matches, I wasn't a starter.
So, I got frustrated and said, "Shit, what else can I do?"
[somber music playing]
-[crew] Goal! -[applause]
[Pékerman] All the newspapers were criticizing James.
Why? They'd point the camera at him on the bench, he's looking annoyed.
I always called him out when he would do that with me.
I told him, "You're digging your own grave with that."
All the talk about us, everything people were saying,
I think it created a toxic atmosphere around him.
When I wasn't playing, he would be criticized.
[reporter] In Colombia, Zidane was seen as public enemy number one.
But what no one realized at the time was that James' real issue was at home.
[Guerrero] It had become impossible.
At every press conference, they asked him about James.
Zidane was done talking about it.
[Zidane] He wants to play more. Of course, but they all do.
When someone gets fewer minutes,
what I have to do is…
Honestly, it's the hardest.
It's the most difficult part of being a coach.
[James] From the beginning,
I think he always had his 12 or 13 core players.
JAMES'S HARDEST MOMENT
So, I think that he chose his guys. I never had a personal problem with him.
JAMES' ANGER: "FUCK HIM"
But I just really wanted to play.
And, well, I can respect his decision, because he won titles.
[Guerrero] Thing is, Zidane's results backed him up.
So, it was difficult to contradict him while he was winning.
But I think their relationship was too fractured anyhow.
There was no trust left between them, and it seemed almost impossible
to rebuild that kind of relationship starting from nothing.
Especially when James was going through such a difficult period in his life
for reasons that we weren't even aware of.
[reporter] One of the most famous couples in Colombia has officially separated.
We had a very mature conversation, like we always do.
And… and we decided, well…
We should go our separate ways.
I'll always be Salomé's father.
I'll always be there for her.
Dani and I ended things on good terms.
They were very young when they were married.
As time went on, they had different directions.
Different dreams.
Fortunately, Daniela has always been someone
who does everything to make sure that Salomé talks to her dad every day.
-Happy. -[Daniela] Father's.
-Father's. -[Daniela] Day.
Day.
-[Daniela] I love you. -Love.
[Daniela] A lot.
In fact, I might as well tell you, and it might be a bit surprising,
but Daniela is one of my closest friends.
It left such a void because when I was with Real Madrid,
I'd get home from training and Salo would be at the door.
"Daddy!" Waiting for me there.
She'd run out to the car and jump in.
And then, all of a sudden, she wasn't there, and I was alone.
So it was a hard change. It was drastic.
Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I cried for Salo.
I think I was sadder about Salo more than anything else.
[poignant music playing]
People also think, "No, he never played with him."
But I did play with him.
I just didn't play in the two finals, the one in Milan and the one in Cardiff.
When you don't play a final, it's a bit…
You're angry.
I took it as… as a message.
Like he's saying, "Hey, I think it's time for you to go somewhere else."
[reporter] Will you move this winter? Will you stay with Real Madrid?
I can't guarantee that.
I wanna be playing more.
[reporter] Have you told him he should stay?
If he asks me my opinion, I'll share it and I'll tell him he should stay,
but obviously, he has his complaints, and maybe he wants more playing time.
But these are very personal decisions.
[reporter] News I predicted in December, and just confirmed today.
James Rodríguez will not continue at Real Madrid.
[María] Professionally, for him, Real Madrid was amazing.
And who can blame anyone for wanting to be there?
It's every kid's dream.
And it's a dream for the best players too, to get to a team like Real Madrid,
and win and all that.
But their dream is to play.
What good is it to say I'm at Real Madrid if I don't play? If I'm not valued?
No.
[reporter] James gradually lost standing within the squad.
His complaints and his incidents,
like the police chase and speeding fine, didn't help either.
And he had a beautiful farewell.
In one of the league games he was substituted, he took a lap.
The whole stadium applauded.
And the whole stadium said their goodbyes to James,
because we all knew that with Zidane, it was impossible for him to play.
Impossible.
Well, I got home, sad, and I went into the bathroom to cry.
Alone, so that Salo wouldn't see me, so that nobody would.
Salo was always like, "Dad, dad, dad!" when I got home.
And she came into the bathroom, and I was crying.
And she just stood there.
"Why are you crying?"
So I explained to her with a broken heart,
"Look, we have to leave because I'm going to change clubs."
"Why are we leaving our house, and why this and why, why?"
It broke my heart.
Ugh.
I explained everything the best I could, and… well, you know how kids are.
She went out yelling "Dad is crying! Dad is crying!"
She told the whole neighborhood! [laughs]
I think that was one of the hardest moments in his life,
but also mine. I was at home on a Sunday afternoon.
I'll never forget it.
I cried my heart out, but he doesn't know about that.
Because imagine if we were all crying.
No, someone has to stay strong.
I left with peace of mind. You know why?
Because I gave absolutely everything in those three years that I played.
I scored goals. I made passes.
37 GOALS- 42 ASSISTS
I won titles. I won things.
2 CLUB WORLD CUPS, 2 EUROPEAN SUPERCUPS, 2 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUES
125 MATCHES
And I know have no regrets. Absolutely none.
THE IDEAL TEAM FOR JAMES RODRÍGUEZ IS ENGLISH FOOTBALL
MANCHESTER UNITED PROPOSES A TRADE FOR JAMES RODRÍGUEZ
PREMIER LEAGUE TEMPTS JAMES
Nobody knows this, but I was going to go to Manchester United.
And Jorge said to me, "Hey, do you want to go to Bayern?"
And I was like, "Bayern? There's no place for me."
"I mean, they have Robben, they have Ribéry."
He said, "Carlo asked for you."
"Carlo?"
After Real Madrid, I always wanted to sign him.
I really valued him as a player because of his talent, obviously.
Was he the perfect player? No, he wasn't perfect.
But I think a coach who has James Rodríguez
has to take advantage of his talent.
They have to work with his talent.
Carlo called me. "How are you? Do you wanna come?"
And I said, "Look, sir, I think I'm gonna go to Manchester."
And he said, "Please. United?"
"United is dead. You have to come play with me."
[reporter] He signed with Bayern Munich, reuniting him with Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian coach brought him to Spain in 2014,
and has now introduced him to the Bundesliga.
I think it was… a good decision for me to go sign with Bayern Munich.
GERMANY
[reporter] James Rodríguez has officially arrived in Germany.
He's moved into the team's facilities, passed the medical exams,
and was even spotted in his new team's colors.
FC BAYERN HAVE OFFICIALLY SIGNED JAMES
[Guerrero] And once again, the media is saying,
"That entitled kid who only wants to play with the coach who spoils him."
[James] It's a club that's always fighting. Always.
And it's a club that plays to win.
For them, it's all about winning, winning, winning.
-And that is good too. -[announcer 1] James!
[announcer 2] And this is James Rodríguez. What a goal!
-[announcer 1] James! -[announcer 2] There we go!
[James] I had an amazing year.
We won the league and the Cup too.
[mellow music playing]
[cheering]
[announcer] James Rodríguez makes it 2-0. What an ending!
[Guerrero] The qualifiers showed that the Colombian team entered a new era.
2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
It was a successful era in terms of changing the team mentality.
We reached a stage in the World Cup we never imagined was possible.
But it wasn't an entirely smooth process.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd] Colombia, Colombia!
We are… we're one step away!
We're making the dream of Russia 2018 a reality!
[percussive music playing]
[crowd cheering]
COLOMBIA SEALS ITS SPOT IN THE WORLD CUP. WE'RE GOING!
COLOMBIA ON THEIR WAY TO RUSSIA!
Just as we did for the World Cup in Brazil,
we held a training camp in Europe before traveling to the Cup.
Because of the scheduling of the German Tournament
and because the World Cup was happening so soon,
the league finals were played very close together.
I asked him to try not to play.
But he was the star.
-They won all three tournaments. -[chanting]
[James] The year before the World Cup, with Bayern Munich, I played 43 games.
I felt the fatigue of playing an entire season of football.
And it showed.
I felt it in Russia.
[Pékerman] There were very few days left,
and James started to feel discomfort in his calf.
[tense music playing]
SARANSK RUSSIA
2018 WORLD CUP, RUSSIA
That's when the problems started for James.
It made things difficult because he was such an important part of the team.
[announcer] And Japan!
[Pékerman] We entered the World Cup on the wrong foot.
[announcer] Japan hit the front again!
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 1 - JAPAN 2
It was a bad start. Colombia lost its very first match in the World Cup.
[Pékerman] James was at half-strength.
So we decided, "No, he won't play."
"We need him back at 100% when we play Poland."
He was irreplaceable for the team, and we needed to win against Poland.
[announcer] Here's Cuadrado. With the corner kick.
James. Ball to Quintero. He sends it back to James.
James lifts the ball for a cross to Mina! Goal for Colombia! Goal for Colombia!
[Pékerman] The joy was back.
And I think James feels empowered when he plays for his national team.
He feels useful, and when he feels useful, that's when he shows his best self.
[Pékerman] That was an incredible match. Plus, Falcao scored.
We'd been waiting for years.
[announcer] Here comes Falcao, here comes Falcao!
What a goal! Falcao!
James wins it. James opening up the game.
Cuadrado goes, here's Colombia's third!
Shoot it! Shoo it, man! Cuadrado…
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 3 - POLAND 0
Goal for Colombia!
James was no longer number one for the team,
though he still had these shining moments.
What we didn't know was that he was dealing with a serious, difficult injury.
[Falcao] He wanted it as much as anybody, which makes it even more painful.
You don't just want to be there, you want to be there at your best.
[Pékerman] During warm-up, I couldn't look at him. I was so nervous.
2018 COLOMBIA VS SENEGAL GROUP STAGE
[María] I was in the stands.
I said to his friend, "Something's wrong with James. Something's up."
He said, "No, he's fine."
[Guerrero] The match against Senegal was when the alarm bells started going off.
And ultimately, we ended up losing James.
He was our best hope for the World Cup, and we lost him.
[announcer] Niang is closing in…
[Guerrero] Then Yerry Mina scored.
-[announcer 1] Oh! Goal! Goal! -[announcer 2] The cross! What a goal!
GROUP STAGE COLOMBIA 1 - SENEGAL 0
[Pékerman] We qualified and he mostly recovered.
We got to the match against England with doubts about his health,
We couldn't risk playing him in that condition.
We couldn't risk him.
[reporter] James Rodríguez. His absence will be felt today
[announcer] You are our guest. Enjoy!
2018 - COLOMBIA VS ENGLAND ROUND OF 16
[announcer 1] Mark Geiger blows for the kick-off.
[announcer 2] …behind number 7, who's the leader, a straight kick…
[announcer 1] Come on, Colombia, let's go. Mateus Uribe hits it!
So close! So close!
[Pékerman] Against England, we were punished once again.
Even with video review, with a very questionable penalty.
[announcer 1] It's yours, Ospina.
Ospina! Goal for England! Goal!
[Guerrero] Seeing him stuck in the stands against England, it was terrible.
It was frustrating. He was desperate.
I think he reflected the feelings of the entire country.
[announcer 1] Let's go for the draw! Let's go for the draw, Cuadrado!
Cuadrado, put it in, kid! Cuadrado sends it over!
We were all going crazy because we couldn't believe it.
The old joke about Colombia never scoring a last-minute goal
was actually coming true.
[announcer] Here's Cuadrado, ball into the middle. Far post.
Mina comes out! Goal for Colombia! Goal for Colombia! Goal for Colombia!
ROUND OF 16 COLOMBIA 1 - ENGLAND 1
This game is over!
Henderson shoots! Ospina saves it!
Ospina saves it! Ospina saves it!
He saves it! Right leg, Mateus Uribe!
Hits the post! Bacca.
Here comes Carlos Bacca! He saved it!
Goalkeeper Pickford saved it!
[crowd cheering]
Goal for England! England progresses.
We've been eliminated from this stage, my fellow Colombians.
[Pékerman] That pain stays with you.
Every elimination is maybe your last.
[Guerrero] But the heartbreak was double.
First, from the elimination.
And second, for going out without James.
[James] It's a part of football, isn't it?
If I had been there, I think we would have made it
because I feel like I could have helped.
That's what I feel.
COLOMBIA BIDS FAREWELL TO RUSSIA AFTER AN EPIC BATTLE
[Buscalia] That really should have been Colombia's year.
COLOMBIA LOSES TO ENGLAND THANK YOU, TEAM! YOU GAVE IT YOUR ALL
Falcao could only score one goal. James couldn't play all the matches.
There were rumors about Pékerman leaving after the World Cup.
[reporter] The Colombian Football Federation, Ramón Jesurún,
just announced that coach José Pékerman
will not continue with the Colombian national team.
Coach Pékerman, we are so grateful for everything you've done for us.
For everything you've given to Colombian football.
And to be honest, there were so many great experiences with the team,
but unfortunately,
we couldn't get done what we should have.
[thoughtful music playing]
GERMANY
[James] The first year, I was lucky to have Carlo, who spoke Spanish.
And Jupp Heynckes spoke Spanish.
The second year, Kovač came.
I think every coach has his… his preferences.
I don't think I was one of them.
-[interviewer] Lots of problems? -With Kovač?
He wanted players to do 30 minutes on the bike after practice,
and I said to him, "No, I'm not doing it."
"Am I training for the Tour de France? I'm a football player."
JAMES STRUGGLES WITH GERMAN AND SPEAKS "SPANGLISH" WITH LEWANDOWSKY
JAMES BENCHED UNTIL HE LEARNS GERMAN
I started taking these classes with a German teacher.
I'd fall asleep, I mean… I couldn't do it.
I said to him, "Look, German doesn't click with me."
"I don't wanna learn it."
[Roncero] I'd watch the winter league recaps.
The field was half-covered in snow, James wearing his black gloves,
and I'd think, “What is my James doing out there in the cold?”
[María] Of course he was gonna miss Madrid.
The language, the culture, the weather, the experiences, all of that.
And now, the snow. The first… the first week, okay, but after that, no.
You don't want anything to do with it.
[Pékerman] He had some ups and downs.
The issue was always with the change of coaches.
That period when my wife and I separated,
in those first six months, I had a hard time.
With Salo.
And I said,
"That… I don't want that again."
Everyone handles these situations in life a little bit differently.
UNCLES
And I think for James, growing up seeing his dad, as the football player,
it would have been better if his father had been here more.
We might have understood him better, or he might have been a little better.
[Mario] James' way of facing it was trying, perhaps,
to surpass his father's accomplishments.
[man] You've dreamed many times of a moment like this.
And here is your son living those dreams.
James, at such a young age, has… has achieved everything.
[James] I think the issue of my father was that my parents split up when I was 2.
I always had enough to eat.
I always had my cleats.
Enough, it wasn't luxurious,
but I think I could have wanted to spend a little more time with him.
[mellow music playing]
Sometimes those patterns can repeat.
And I… I didn't want that.
James Rodríguez and the surprise announcement
of the birth of his son, Samuel.
The star of the Colombian national team has been trending
since he posted the picture of the little one,
along with a message of joy and welcome.
[James] When I decided to have Samuel that way,
which was through surrogacy…
NEONATAL ADAPATATION ROOM
…that was part of the… of the reason I wanted to have Samuel that way.
because I said, "No, I'm not losing another kid."
"And I won't suffer anymore."
I supported him because…
The truth is, he was really struggling.
Missing his family was making him so anxious, almost depressed.
He missed his daughter so badly.
We looked into it, we did the necessary paperwork,
and then, there's that beautiful baby boy, who's our whole world.
-Is he here? -[man] He's here.
[gentle music playing]
[man] You can hold your son now.
How are you?
[indistinct chatter]
[James] That love between a father and daughter
or between a father and son, it's special, it's magical.
When they give you a hug or a kiss, it's something that doesn't…
Nothing compares to that.
[María] They both gave each other life.
And Samuel gave me years of happiness.
I call him my "déjà vu." They're so alike.
In how they look, their personalities.
They're usually quiet, but when they talk…
They're both funny. They have a spark.
[James] The best part of my year?
The birth of my son, Samuel.
In October.
It was the best.
I mean, I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Bayern Munich had a purchase option, and it was almost the end of the season.
Bayern is a successful club.
I was also happy there.
What did I miss about Madrid?
I think it was just living there more than anything.
I wanted to stay, but I think there are some things that pull you more.
I think there was a single time when he made a mistake, in my opinion.
I care about him, and I'm genuinely his friend.
He knows that.
He was so single-minded about the dream of wanting,
needing to play for Real Madrid,
I think this was a point where he ultimately hurt himself and his career.
[hopeful music playing]
MADRID, SPAIN
[reporter 1] He goes back to Madrid. His second stint with Zidane.
We see a James Rodríguez who is completely defeated
after being benched again under Zinedine Zidane.
[reporter 2] The French coach has a much lower opinion of him than expected.
Being left out of the strategy meeting today
is another sign that… that I'm more out than in.
[reporter 3] And now this new opportunity to be reunited with Carleto.
This time in the Premier League.
[James] I don't want what happened with Bayern to happen again.
I don't want a new coach after only four months.
I'm telling you right now. Please.
Okay.
Jorge called me.
And then I spoke with Carlo Ancelotti.
He's at Everton.
It's a serious offer.
And Carlo told me something.
Something that stood out to me.
He says, "Here you'll be a star."
It's a step back, but I'll be able to play.
I'll be happy with that.
With Carlo, I know I'll be happy.
Let's see how it goes.
[atmospheric music playing]
JAMES, CAN I HAVE YOUR JERSEY, PLEASE?
[James] It seems like the Everton deal is gonna fall through.
I told Jorge, "Look, tell them no."
"Let's get the fuck out of here."
"Let's get out of here."
The day he was going to sign, sign with Everton,
he was at the hotel.
They called me and said, "James isn't signing. He's backing out."
"What? How? What do you mean?"
"Yes, he's already on his way to the airport."
I called him and said, "No, come back, come back."
"Don't worry, we'll sort it all out."
"Let's not get stuck on the details of the contract."
[upbeat music playing]
He's got a lot of goals to score.
-Bye, family! -Bye, sweetie!
[camera shutter clicking]
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND
[Ancelotti] Perhaps for James, it was a small team.
But he had a tremendous start at Everton, and all of England was delighted with him.
[James] I had really high expectations for the Premier League and for the club.
I was excited. Everyone was so welcoming.
[announcer] Now, Rodríguez!
[Roncero] James needed to feel important as a football player again.
And Ancelotti gave that to him at Everton.
[announcer] Goals just keep on flowing for Everton!
The team is ready to do great things. We can do great things now.
-[interviewer] You're confident, huh? -Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're good, we're good.
[announcer] Fofana gave it straight back!
[crowd cheering]
[lively rock music playing]
[announcer] For Everton, number 19, James Rodríguez!
[James] I think we were a great team.
As everyone saw, the first five months were incredible.
[Ancelotti] He had his motivation back.
Until November, he was doing very, very well.
Then, unfortunately, he suffered another injury.
This is another problem that has really affected his career.
All of these calf injuries.
I think that James really suffered,
because of his problems with getting injured repeatedly.
Because when you're not right physically,
you're just not yourself as a player. And James wasn't himself.
I think it was a good year. And well, I wanted it to continue.
But then, Carlo left, and everyone knows what happened next.
[reporter] Everton officially announced the hiring of Rafa Benítez.
Now, James Rodríguez is expected to show up
and reunite with the coach with whom he has some history.
BENITEZ WON'T PUT JAMES ON THE FIELD. CONFIRMED. NEW COACH
Benítez was back.
That really showed you that the club's management
didn't trust James all that much.
I mean, if they're bringing in a new coach,
why wouldn't they ask a few of their players what they think of him?
When you have a player in the situation that we have,
that can be available just 50% of the games,
overall, in the Premier League,
it's not something that we can… we can manage easily.
So, we have to maximize the resources that we have.
I said, "In two, three months,
he'll drag them to the bottom, and they'll fire him."
And that's exactly what-- how it happened. Just like I said.
His season in England ended the same way it began.
All of the biggest clubs in the world were after him.
But when you haven't been able to play the way you want in a long time,
you might choose something different.
[reporter 1] "James seeking his happiness."
That could be the headline
of the decision and statement from the Colombian number 10,
whose press conference caused quite a stir and clutter today.
The number 10 will finally wear the number 10 again.
[reporter 2] The number 10 is back on James's jersey.
His new team, Al-Rayyan…
AL-RAYYAN - QATAR
…introduced their signing to fans,
who are hoping to see the best from the Colombian football player.
[James] I think the future is here.
The… the World Cup is here next year.
Well, let's just hope that… that I'll be there too.
I'm going to talk about Qatar without… without sugarcoating it or anything.
For me, I saw it as the last option I had.
[María] I mean, he did it because he had to.
He had no choice.
I think he was one of the first big names to go to Qatar.
Did he go for the money? Yeah, let's be honest, because what other…
Why else would anyone go?
[James] See you later.
I've made mistakes in life, definitely made mistakes in football.
When I think about it now, I think going to Qatar…
[Buscalia] One day, you're playing with Cristiano Ronaldo,
and then, suddenly, you're in a league that is barely a step above amateur.
[James] It was a hasty decision.
I was leaving Everton.
[Roncero] I saw him in Qatar.
They were playing an entirely different kind of football.
So far from the level that he was used to.
[thoughtful music playing]
I even thought, even though he was so young,
that after Qatar he would retire.
A lot of us thought that. We thought Qatar was the end of James.
[James] I didn't want to go.
I didn't wanna come. I wanted to stay there at Everton.
But if I stayed, the… season would start, and I wasn't gonna be playing.
When you're competing with players who aren't that good,
without even realizing,
you start to think you aren't that good either.
I play with a cop, man.
Our left back is a police officer.
♪ Why am I here, behind bars? ♪
The plan was, I would go to Qatar until January.
I thought that Colombia was going to the World Cup.
I'm already here. If you guys want, come by.
[reporter] James Rodríguez has been left off of the Colombian roster
for the June qualifiers and the Copa América.
The announcement was made in a statement by the Colombian Football Federation,
in which they claim that James is not in physical condition
to play in either event.
I would have been ready for the Copa América.
I reached out to the coach, I said, "Let me train with the team."
"If I'm not ready, you can cut me."
I'm always the first, always the first to say, "Look, I can't."
But they didn't wanna take me.
When they want you, they'll take you no matter what.
[reporter] The decision to leave James Rodríguez off the squad
has not improved the atmosphere of the Colombian national team.
JAMES OFF COLOMBIAN TEAM
[interviewer] That was his hardest moment?
It was definitely one of the hardest. That and leaving Real Madrid.
But with the national team, that year, I've never seen him so upset.
FRIEND
That was definitely when he was at his lowest.
Without a doubt.
[inaudible]
[María] Once the qualifiers moved to Qatar,
he got called up by Coach Rueda, toward the very end of the call-ups.
It wasn't enough.
[reporter] Colombia is officially eliminated from the upcoming World Cup.
COLOMBIA OUT
How can a team play fast when they're held back by James and Falcao?
[man] Cocky prick! Motherfucker!
I think what happened to him
with the national team must have deeply hurt.
[man] Fucking curse now, motherfuckers!
To me, James started to mirror the reality of Colombia.
Showing a level of polarization we'd never seen before.
WORLD CUP FAILURE
[reporter 1] James's best days are behind him.
[reporter 2] James is not the same anymore!
He was furious. After everything, all the harassment from them.
I told him he should never go back to the national team.
[reporter 3] He's made choices that have hurt him.
[reporter 4] He was cocky, and these are the consequences.
-[reporter 5] He's made mistakes. -[reporter 6] He doesn't accept losing.
We don't even know what he wants.
[somber music playing]
I don't know why I'm here.
[closing music playing] e.