He was signed to guide Everton to the top of the Premier League, but he left as quickly as he arrived……
Farhad Moshiri revealed in February 2016 that he has purchased a majority share in Everton Football Club.
This was supposed to mark the beginning of a new age.
With no trophy since the 1995 FA Cup and no league title since 1987, fans thought that with Moshiri’s backing, the glory days would return.
Moshiri underlined his willingness to get started in a club statement obtained by Bleacher Report, saying, “I look forward with excitement to working with him to help deliver success for Everton in the future.”
By 2022, Moshiri will have 94% ownership of the football club. Is this a hint that his time was a success? Not quite.
In fact, the year Moshiri was to inherit such a stake in the club was the same year Everton finished with their poorest record since 2004.
That was until the following season, when the Toffees matched their worst-ever Premier League finish, finishing only one place above the drop zone.
What went wrong for the billionaire with such potential and ostensibly so much money to spend on the club?
Many people believe that recruitment is the answer. Owen Hargreaves, a political commentator, put it best.
“Recruitment has been a disaster; they’ve spent so much money and don’t have much to show for it.”
Perhaps no player exemplifies this better than James Rodriguez for Everton.
A player who appeared to be bound for greatness, but hadn’t quite made it by the time he arrived to Everton. However, the club took a chance on him, feeling he had a lot more left in the tank.
It would prove to be an expensive error.
Everton signed James Rodriguez for what reason?
When he went to Europe as a teenager in 2010, the offensive midfielder was hailed as a player with enormous potential.
When James joined Porto, he experienced immediate success as part of an unbeatable league squad and Europa League champions. The Colombian then went on to win the Taca de Portugal, where he scored a hat trick.
His time in Portugal was arguably the most productive of his career. The deft attacker appeared in 108 games, scoring 74 goals and departed with a slew of awards.
That was enough to win a major move in 2013, when money-hungry AS Monaco paid a combined £60 million for Rodriguez and his then-teammate Joao Moutinho.
The ace was only there for one season, so it wasn’t a long-term move. However, this was not due to poor performance. It was time to move on to bigger things.
Rodriguez’s talent was well acknowledged by this stage. But everything changed for him at the 2014 World Cup.
With the entire world watching, James stole the show.
Despite just making it to the Quarterfinals, the Colombian won the Golden Boot with his six goals and two assists.
He also received the tournament goal for an outstanding chest control and shot that slammed the underside of the crossbar and settled in the back of the net.
James had gone from a player recognized for his talent to a superstar in the span of one tournament.
He had piqued the interest of the world’s most powerful clubs and eventually signed for Real Madrid for £63 million.
A slew of trophies followed. One Spanish Super Cup, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, one La Liga, and two Champions Leagues.
A trophy haul that any player would be proud of.
But it wasn’t enough.Despite contributing 79 goals in 125 appearances, James had not lived up to his full potential. He may have been handicapped by being stranded behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
When Zinedine Zidane took over as manager of Los Blancos, it appeared like a watershed moment had occurred. James’ playing time has grown, with people such as Colombia icon Carlos Valderrama claiming:
“Even if he scores three, four, or five goals, Zidane will not start him.” He dislikes James as a player.”
Fans were also worried about the decline in form and game time. One fan summed up how most fans felt at the moment when they wrote, “at this stage of last season, James Rodriguez was Madrid’s best player.” It’s concerning that he’s fallen behind Lucas, Jese, and Isco this season.”A loan spell at Bayern Munich provided more trophies but not the necessary career boost for the former Puskas winner.
Everton came calling at that point How much did Everton pay for Rodriguez?
Despite possibly being at his lowest point since entering European football, Everton showed faith in James, spending £20.46 million on the then-29-year-old.
The club also shattered their wage structure with this deal, reportedly offering James a weekly salary of £250,000.
While the danger was high, many people believed Rodriguez and manager Carlo Ancelotti were a marriage made in heaven.
James had previously worked under Ancelotti at both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and it was assumed that the Italian would bring out the best in the Colombian genius.
His managers’ respect for him was palpable. Ancelotti was gushing about his new signing not long after he arrived at Everton, saying:/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69794502/1332939275.0.jpg)
“He’s a fantastic, talented player.” He never misses passes, loses possession of the ball, or wastes shots on goal. He doesn’t play sophisticated football; he considers football to be a simple sport.”
“I believe he has found the right club for him to demonstrate his abilities.”
With words like those, there was a lot of anticipation to see what James could come up with.
What was Rodriguez’s performance like at Everton?
On paper, things appeared to be going swimmingly for James.
In his 26 appearances, he scored 15 goals. In his debut Premier League season, he received the highest rating of 7.45 from SofaScore, making him the top-rated player in the Everton side.
However, it was not as perfect as it appeared. He was out of football for three months owing to numerous ailments. Many people think his style of play did not correspond to the rigors of English football.
He still had his manager’s support, with Ancelotti fully behind his player. When asked about Rodriguez’s lack of running, he went so far as to compare him to Brazil’s renowned striker Ronaldo.”Do you know how many times he sprinted in the first four games?” Seven! He has more assists and goals than sprints. So, what exactly are we discussing? What do we expect a player to do on the field?
“When R9 arrived in Milan, he weighed 100kg.” ‘You know I can’t play you,’ I informed him before the first game. You must reduce weight.’
“‘What do you want me to do on the pitch?’ he replied.” Should you score or run? If it’s to run, bench me; if it’s to score, play me!’
“I acted him out. He didn’t run, but he did score twice. It’s the same thing for James.”
However, his effort with the ball was a source of concern.
Rodriguez appeared to be too light to help an Everton club that relied on excellent defense.
During the 2020/21 season, he ranked in the 4th percentile of all dribbled-past players in the league. This signifies that he was among the most “When R9 arrived in Milan, he weighed 100kg.” ‘You know I can’t play you,’ I informed him before the first game. You must reduce weight.'”‘What do you want me to do on the pitch?’ he replied.” Should you score or run? If it’s to run, bench me; if it’s to score, play me!'”I acted him out. He didn’t run, but he did score twice. It’s the same thing for James.”However, his effort with the ball was a source of concern.Rodriguez appeared to be too light to help an Everton club that relied on excellent defense.During the 2020/21 season, he ranked in the 4th percentile of all dribbled-past players in the league. This signifies that he was among the mostdribbled-past players.
Where is James Rodriguez now?
The final nail in the coffin came when Carlo Ancelotti was named as the new Real Madrid manager; without the manager he enjoyed playing for, James’ career at Goodison Park appeared to be over. Rodriguez followed Ancelotti out the door three months later, joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan for an undisclosed fee.The final nail in the coffin came when Carlo Ancelotti was chosen as the new Real Madrid manager; without the boss he adored playing for, James’ future at Goodison Park appeared to be finished. Rodriguez left three months later, joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan for an undisclosed price.
Since leaving Merseyside, James has started numerous new football initiatives.
Rodriguez’s stay is difficult to interpret as anything other than a disappointment given the money spent and the time they spent together. But that could be due to glimmers of what could’ve been, rather than it being a total disaster.