James Rodríguez and the Colombian curse at Real Madrid

James Rodriguez has emerged as  one of the best players in the World Cup so far. As a result of his mesmerizing displays, the sports papers in Spain claim Real Madrid are interested  in signing him for next season.  But, to be a success at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Monaco player would have to overcome a curse that affects Colombians who have donned the famous white shirt.

To date, only two players from this South American country have played for Real Madrid and both went through more agony than glory at Chamartin: Freddy Rincon and Edwin Congo. The first to arrive in the capital of Spain was Rincón.

Following a good season on loan at Napoli, the midfielder was targeted by Jorge Valdano to become his first signing in the 95/96 season. Real Madrid did not hesitate to pay Palmeiras just over four million euros to secure his signature. The figure may now seem ridiculously small for a team like Madrid, but at that time was a significant amount.

However, Rincón never performed at the level that was expected of him. Moreover, Valdano was sacked during the season and Arsenio Iglesias, the man who replaced him in the dugout  did not play him much. Therefore, at the end of the season he was sold.

Rather than be self-critical of his below-par performances, Rincon recently stated in an interview with Marca that his poor showing was due to the”racism” that existed in Spain: “Unfortunately, I went through a very difficult period, because it was when racism was very marked at the time. That was one of the things that really hurt me a lot. It meant I could no longer play and have the opportunity to succeed at Real Madrid. ”

Congo also didn’t set the world alight at Real Madrid. The striker joined the club in the summer of 1999 from Once Caldas, with Los Blancos paying an amount close to five million euros. The signing of Congo was surrounded by a lot of mystery, as his stats were not spectacular in Colombia and noone at the club took responsibility for his recruitment.

In fact, legend has it that Real Madrid signed Congo based on a report sent to the club by a 14-year-old teenager. Because Los Blancos had already filled its places in the squad, Real Madrid decided to loan Congo to Valladolid. It was the first of many loan spells he spent away from Madrid.

In none of those loan periods did he show anything of the sort of form that would be worthy of a place in the Real Madrid squad, and therefore was never given a first team opportunity. James Rodriguez could break the Colombian curse if he signed for Real Madrid.