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It’s finally official. After months of “will-they, won’t-they” speculation, Bayern Munich have confirmed that James Rodriguez will not be signed on a permanent basis. The Colombian, who has been signed on a two-year loan deal, will return to Real Madrid this summer.
Club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed the news to Sport Bild:
It's official: James will definitely leave #fcbayern. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to @SPORTBILD: "He told me in a private meeting that he would ask the club not to activate the buyout clause." @jamesdrodriguez #james @BILD_Sport
— Tobias Altschäffl (@altobelli13) June 4, 2019
And so ends the short, but arduous tenure of James Rodriguez at Bayern. It’s regrettable that it had to end this way, because James is undoubtedly a very talented player, and his buy-option was very cheap — but in the end, he was always going to be a misfit, unable to displace Thomas Muller from the lineup, and unable to work anywhere else.
The only reason James came to Bayern in the first place was because of Carlo Ancelotti, and while he excelled under Jupp Heynckes in Ancelotti’s absence, it was always going to be difficult for him to nail down a starting berth. The plethora of injuries in his second season didn’t help either.
Now, we can expect James to return to Madrid, who will inevitably sell him to some other club. Zinedine Zidane is no fan of the Colombian, so James will need to look for a club that appreciates his talents. There will undoubtedly be many, especially clubs in the English Premier League, who would be able to afford his services. We wish him all the best.