James Rodriguez is 31 years of age - and presently unemployed. After spending a year making money in Qatar, he essentially begged for a return to "elite football" last September - "Let’s see who wants my left foot again!" - and was taken on by Olympiacos, only to see his contract terminated after just seven months in Greece.
It's hard to know what to make of that, perhaps because it's long been difficult to know what to make of James, both as a player and a person.
Our entire perception of him is shaped by the summer of 2014, when he illuminated the World Cup in Brazil. He won the Golden Boot by scoring six times, but also won the hearts of football fans all across the globe. Even LeBron James was blown away by Colombia's new attacking sensation with the boyish good looks.
After the attacking midfielder had scored the goal of the tournament in the last-16 win over Uruguay, the NBA legend tweeted, "Man, watching this Colombian game, I think I have my fav (sic) player of the World Cup!"
