(Reuters) – James Rodriguez recalled another brilliant performance at the Copa America and declared his determination to lead Colombia to a second victory in the tournament after they beat Panama 5-0 in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
The 32-year-old helped 2001 champions Colombia reach the semi-finals, recording five assists with his excellent vision and defence-splitting passes, tying him with Lionel Messi (2021) for the most assists in a single game in the tournament.
Rodriguez's creativity was again on display in the win over Panama, as he converted a precise corner kick for Colombia's opening goal, then converted a powerful penalty and used his quick thinking to assist Colombia's third goal.
“It was a tough game, the opponent was very strong but we came out in good form and we know how to score quickly so we were able to control the game,” Rodriguez said after winning his third man of the match award in four games.
“Did I want to be the best player in the Copa? Yes, I wanted to have a very good cup and help my teammates go further. We will fight until the last day and let's hope we can reach that great final that we all want. We are also having good moments.”
Rodriguez is once again Colombia's main player, but it has been a struggle to get to this point.
He shot to fame when he won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which resulted in a high-profile move to La Liga giants Real Madrid.
However, his club career never reached the level he demonstrated with Colombia and after a difficult spell at Real and a disappointing loan spell at Bayern Munich, Rodriguez joined Everton in 2020.
He played one season in the Premier League and had similar short stints with Qatar's Al Rayyan and Olympiacos before joining Brazilian side Sao Paulo last year.
Rodriguez was left out of Colombia's 2021 Copa America squad due to illness but has been fully reinstated by coach Néstor Lourenzo.
Under Lorenzo's leadership, Colombia has become one of the strongest teams in South America, recording big wins over teams such as Brazil and Germany and going on a 27-game unbeaten run.
“He is a great player, there is no need to explain anything, he is a happy player on the pitch,” Lorenzo told reporters on Saturday.
(Reporting by Adi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
