He earned a lot of money there, but James Rodríguez (32) could not enjoy his adventure in Qatar. He was forced to shower dressed or eat without cutlery. The man who went to Real Madrid for 75 million euros in 2014 recounts his ordeal: “I told them they were crazy.”
He reportedly earned €12 million in one season. But James Rodríguez (ex Real and ex Bayern) suffered above all in Qatar. The Colombian played football for a year at Al-Rayyan SC between September 2021 and September 2022. He scored five goals in 16 games, but that’s not quite what he remembers from his short adventure. It is above all the enormous culture shock that will always accompany him.
Things are very physical in Qatar. A match is constantly interrupted due to fouls.
Giacomo Rodríguez
“Everyone knows: in football you shower naked,” Rodríguez told Brazil’s Globo. “But in Qatar my teammates said it’s not allowed. This made me anxious. And he was also shocked by the eating habits. “When I asked for cutlery for the first time, they told me I had to eat with my hands. Everyone eats there with their hands. I found it difficult. I told them they were crazy. Why should I eat with my hands?”
I WAIT. A goal from Rodríguez in Qatar
Nahuel Lanzón @nahuelzn
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“I thought Qatari football was less physical,” says Rodríguez – who scored the best goal of the World Cup in 2014 and secured a dream move to Real Madrid – in an interview with Marca. “But the opposite is true. It’s very physical. A game is constantly interrupted due to fouls. I was hoping that more technology would be involved. There are good footballers, but the style of play is all about strength.”
Ok to Munich
Rodríguez is happy to have been taken away on a free transfer from Olympiacos after a year. He now plays football for San Paolo. A major downgrade in just a few years: four years ago he was still playing for Real and Bayern Munich. Although he can’t say much about his time in Germany. “It’s cold there and the people are just cold. Except at the disco, where I was treated very well. But how difficult is it to live at -20 degrees Celsius? I got into the car: -28 degrees. I thought: what the hell am I doing here? Learning German didn’t interest me anyway. I found a German teacher and told him it would be better if we didn’t waste each other’s time.” Rodríguez played 67 games for the ‘Rekordmeister’, scoring 15 goals and 20 assists.
Is he finally in the right place at San Paolo? It doesn’t really seem that way. Rodríguez can’t laugh at being left on the bench in the Copa Brasil final. “I always want to play everything. So of course I was angry. Will I still play in Brazil in 2024? I really have no idea. I prefer not to look too much into the future…”
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Giacomo Rodríguez. ©AFP
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2023-12-28 11:01:48
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