James Rodríguez

He married Daniela Ospina in 2011 and has a daughter named Salome. He is a devout Christian.

James David Rodríguez Rubio was born on 12 July 1991 in Cúcuta, Colombia, to Wilson James Rodríguez Bedoya and Maria Del Pilar Rubio. His father was also a football player who had been a part of the 1985 U-20 side and had also played for the Colombian national team. However, injuries and a battle with alcoholism had cut short Wilson’s sporting career.

James inherited his father’s passion for football and became interested in the sport at an early age. As a kid he used to play Pony Fútbol with Academia Tolimense and became a very skilled player by the time he was in his early teens.

He turned professional by joining Colombian second division club Envigado in 2006 when he was in his mid-teens. The following year he achieved a promotion to Colombian first division.

He was signed by the Argentine team Banfield in 2008 and made his team debut on February 2009. His first goal was with a long range strike in a 3–1 victory over Rosario Central on 27 February.

Just 17, he amazed his coaches and team mates with his skillful performances and became a regular first team player featuring in every game of the Apertura 2009. He also became the youngest foreigner to score a goal in Argentina. He performed wonderfully throughout the year and soon garnered a huge fan following.

He became a much sought after player and was signed by Porto, a Portuguese sports club, for €5.1 million in July 2010. He scored his first goal in European football in a 3–1 home victory for Porto against Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia in December 2010.

He reached new heights of success in the 2011-12 season and scored 14 goals for Porto and delivered 11 assists. In 2011, he also became the first Colombian player to win the LPFP Award for Breakthrough Player of the year.

He was named the LPFP Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2011–12.

In 2012, he won the Portuguese Golden Ball, a prize given out by Portuguese newspaper ‘A Bola’ to the best player in the Portuguese Liga.

He was named the AS Monaco Player of the Year (2013–14).

In 2014, he was named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team and the FIFA World Cup Dream Team. The same year, he also received the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Award.