James Rodriguez's dream Bundesliga debut

The Colombian midfielder has risen to stardom in his debut season in the German top flight

James arrived at Bayern on loan from Real Madrid in the 17/18 season

3 years at Real Madrid

A sensational World Cup campaign in 2014 led the Colombian to a dream move to the Bernabeu. Only 22 years old then, he was playing among the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo and Toni Kroos. It appeared the James was enjoying life at Real Madrid. However, in the 16/17 season, reports surfaced the James was unhappy with the club, mainly because he was not getting the playing time he desired. Despite scoring 11 goals and 13 assists, he failed to gain sufficient playing time at Real Madrid, leading him to make a loan transfer request.

The move to Bayern Munich

The 16/17 season was a season to forget for Bayern Munich. Despite winning their 5th consecutive Bundesliga title, they had been eliminated from the German Cup in the Semifinals stage by eventual champions Borussia Dortmund, and a humiliating 6-2 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid had knocked them out of the Champions League at the Quarterfinals stage. Former Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti had brought in James to strengthen the midfield, mainly the attacking midfield.

A fresh start

James celebrates after scoring his first Bundesliga goal against Schalke 04

James had a slow start at Bayern Munich, mainly due to a injury he had sustained during pre season. After Bayern lost 3:0 to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc de Princes, coach Carlo Ancelotti was sacked, and former coach Jupp Heynckes was appointed as then new coach. Jupp was fascinated by James, and was deployed mainly in the central midfield, where he proved pivotal. James is feared for his notorious passing, the ability to create space in unlikely regions, and if needed, deadly finishing. He scored his first Bayern goal away at Schalke in a 3:0 win. In fact, he was involved in all the 3 goals scored by Bayern, one himself, and an assist for Thomas Muller and Arturo Vidal. His most memorable goal has to be a magnificent free kick he scored away at Leverkusen, which was subsequently voted as the goal of the season by the fans. James was influential in their Champions League campaign as well. He scored at an acute angle against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Semifinals, and refused to celebrate. Overall, he's managed to score 8 goals, and make 13 assists in all competitions. He's also averaged an 89% pass completion rate. James appears to have quickly adapted to Bayern's possessive style of play. Bayern have the option to trigger James's release clause worth €42 million, but no reaction has been given by the club yet. He also stated in an interview that he loved the city of Munich, and dreamed of winning many titles with Bayern.

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