James leaving Madrid was the best thing, says father

James Rodriguez’s move from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich was the best decision he could make, according to his father.

After struggling for game time at the Santiago Bernabeu, James departed to the German giants on a two-year loan deal in July.

The Colombian has impressed in the Bundesliga, scoring four times and providing six assists in 16 games.

His father, Wilson Rodriguez, said the 26-year-old’s decision to leave Madrid was a good one.

“My son did well leaving Real Madrid for Bayern Munich, he is very happy in Germany,” he told Marca Claro.

“I see him living a calm and cheerful life and it’s incredibly important for him to perform on the pitch.

“He loves Real Madrid a lot, I don’t think anybody can ever doubt that, however, the best thing he could do was leave the team.

“He had lost the sporting joy on the pitch that he had when [Carlo] Ancelotti was coach.”

After making 29 league starts for Madrid in 2014-15, James made fewer than 18 in the two seasons that followed.

Wilson Rodriguez said James looked up to Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who took over in January 2016.

“Zidane was one of James’ footballing idols, but that doesn’t mean that the coach won’t decide that my son can’t fit into his team,” he said.

“However, you will never hear my son talk badly about the French coach or criticise him for something related to football.”