James Rodríguez would go to River Plate: the coach himself, Marcelo Gallardo, called him to convince him

According to the Argentine press, ‘El Muñeco’ Gallardo would have called James Rodríguez personally – credit Infobae Montage (Diego Haliasz/ USA TODAY Sports)

James Rodríguez had an outstanding performance at the 2024 Copa América. The Colombian national team finished as runners-up, and the captain of the national team earned recognition for his level and technique in each of the matches played, which earned him the title of MVP of the continental tournament held in the United States.

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Despite his outstanding performance, the number 10 of the Tricolor has not yet been confirmed by any professional team to continue his career. However, in the last few hours, a rumour has emerged linking him with a possible signing for River Plate of Argentina.

According to sports journalist Gabriel Anello on Radio Mitre, technical director Marcelo Gallardo would have personally contacted James Rodríguez by phone to express his interest in adding him to the historic South American club.

There is great expectation among River Plate fans due to the alleged arrival of James Rodríguez to the institution – credit @villacis_ander/X

The news has generated expectations and excitement among the fans of the team with the Cruzado band, who are waiting for the rumor mentioned on the radio to be made official.

A few years ago, Gallardo led River in one of its most successful periods, including the Copa Libertadores, which they won against eternal rival Boca Juniors. Throughout this period, Juan Fernando Quintero was an indispensable figure in the approach of ‘Muñeco’ Gallardo, who always gave the Colombian midfielder confidence.

James Rodríguez came from São Paulo in Brazil, before the Copa América the Cucuteño was being relegated to the substitutes’ bench by coach Luis Zubeldía, who had taken away the little prominence he had managed to consolidate in the club.

After the Copa América, Rodríguez decided to re-enter his contract with the club and opted to seek new directions in Europe. Due to his performance, a series of rumours began to emerge linking him with Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, but these were ultimately dismissed.

There are currently about two weeks left until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the captain of the national team played his last match more than a month ago, when the Colombian team lost the final of the tournament to Argentina in extra time.

Despite the Colombian’s aspirations to reach Europe, the call that Gallardo made to Rodríguez would have made him consider a new start at the historic South American team. Although Real Betis, as well as Rayo Vallecano, would continue to show their interest in signing the Colombian during the winter transfer market.

James Rodríguez posted a photo just after his awards at the Copa América United States 2024 – credit @jamesrodriguez / X

On September 6, Néstor Lorenzo’s team will travel to Lima to face Peru as a visitor, and three days later they will arrive in Barranquilla to face Argentina at home, which will be without Leonel Messi.

As the date of the two official matches approaches, some of the Colombian national team players have stood out with each of their teams, both in the forward line and in the defense, the coffee growers have made a difference.

One of the most famous cases is that of Johan Mojica, the full-back who made his debut with Mallorca ruined Mbappé’s debut with Real Madrid. The match ended 1-1 with the Colombian as one of the stars.

Another is John Duran, who in his first match of the season with Aston Villa managed to score and be recognised as one of the players of the match. Likewise, Daniel Mosquera and Juan David Cabal had outstanding performances for their clubs in Italy.

But amidst all the joy, the unfortunate news came a few days ago that Rafael Santos Borré will be sidelined and will miss the qualifying matches in September. The forward from Barranquilla was injured and will have to be out of the football fields for at least 4 matches.

Néstor Lorenzo has indicated that his main objective is to compete in a World Cup with the Tricolor again – credit Tolga Akmen

The 2023-2025 World Cup Qualifiers table paints an interesting picture for the Colombian national team. Colombia currently sits in third place with 12 points, the result of three wins, three draws and no losses in six matches played. This solid performance, with no defeats so far, reflects a stable campaign, although the lack of more victories could be an area for improvement in order to secure direct qualification.

Argentina leads the table with 15 points, thanks to five wins and one loss, showing almost absolute dominance in these qualifiers. Uruguay remains in second place with 13 points, after four wins, one draw and one loss, standing out for its scoring ability with 13 goals scored, the best offensive record of the tournament so far.

Colombia, with a goal difference of +3 (6 goals for and 3 against), have shown a solid defense, but their offensive capacity could be a concern if they want to maintain or improve their position in the table.

Venezuela is surprisingly in fourth place with 9 points, closely followed by Ecuador with 8 points. Brazil, a traditional South American power, is in an unusual position, occupying sixth place with 7 points, reflecting an inconsistent performance with two wins, one draw and three losses.

The rest of the table is occupied by Paraguay and Chile with 5 points each, Bolivia with 3 points and Peru closing the classification with only 2 points.