Colombia team boss Jose Peckerman has hailed midfield star James Rodriguez for his improvement and leadership since he joined Real Madrid.
The 22-year-old captained his country at the weekend as the South American side defeated the United States in an international friendly.
Speaking afterwards, Peckerman said he had been impressed by how mature Rodriguez is and how he’d developed into a leader in recent months.
“James has grown and matured very quickly as a 23-year-old, every new step that he takes surprises me. He’s a winner”, Pekerman stated. “That’s why he was the captain, both the coaching staff and the players have plenty of confidence in him. He assumed the captaincy with responsibility.”
James joined Real Madrid from Monaco in the summer for a fee of around 75 million euros. He has impressed Madridistas and pundits alike in Spain with a number of eye-catching displays as Los Blancos have overcome a poor start to the league campaign to rise to the top of the table.
The attacking midfielder was one of the stars of the World Cup in Brazil in the summer. He finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals in his five games, and also netted the goal of the tournament – a stunning long range half volley against Uruguay.
