James Rodríguez: Class act or World Cup flash in the pan

Following his excellent performances at the World Cup in Brazil, James Rodríguez has skyrocketed in popularity and transfer value.

Monaco paid €45 million to bring him in from Porto last season and reports indicate that they are willing to part ways with their young star for €80 million. That is quite a rise in value.

Is he worth it? Six goals and two assist in five World Cup matches is impressive. However, history has many examples of players who did extraordinarily well at the World Cup, make a big money move to another club, but fail to live up to the hype and expectations. El Hadji Diouf to Liverpool after the 2002 World Cup comes to mind. One of the biggest risk a club takes when signing a new player is their inability to predict future performances. For example, there is no way to know for sure if a player who scored 35 goals in the Eredivisie will have similar success in La Liga. Such is the nature of football.

Real Madrid appear to be front runners to sign the attacker and he is also interested in a move to the Bernabéu. At age 23, James Rodríguez has a bright future in front of him. His performances for Monaco last season, scoring ten goals and providing twelve assists is a good return for any attacking midfielder or winger. Keep in mind that it was only his first season at Monaco.

His recent World Cup performances can be seen as a coming of age, emphatically announcing his presence to the world. His pace, vision, dribbling and all round ability are exceptional. When one closely examines the goals he scored at the World Cup, you realize that these were not lucky breaks or accidental occurences. They were all top quality strikes from a top quality attacker. Given time, he will adapt to any new environment and thrive in his role, keep an eye on him.