Real Madrid's new number ten, James Rodriguez, is approaching his first El Clasico and the 23-year-old World Cup sensation has been selected as the next star in our 5 Things feature.
Rodriguez is slowly finding his feet at Bernabeu, scoring four goals and assisting a further three in his first 14 games for Los Blancos, but let's check five things you may or may not have known about the Colombian:
1. Born on 12 July 1991 in Cucuta, Colombia, it's been revealed he has been named after historic film character James Bond. However, his name is not pronounced in typical English fashion, rather in a Colombian cum Spanish accent which sounds like 'Hahm-ess Rod-dr-guess'.
2. He was scouted as a 13-year-old at the Pony Futbol Championship in Colombia following a magical goal directly from the corner spot in 2004. He finished as the tournament's top scorer and best player.
3. Whilst Rodriguez was at Atletico Banfield, his first professional club, agents attempted to get a response from Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 2010 only to be left in the dark. A deal for just £5 million never materialised and transfer flop Bebe was signed instead.
4. At the 2014 World Cup, Rodriguez became the first player to score in all of his team's five opening matches since Ronaldo and Rivaldo in 2002. His six goals overall earned him the Golden Boot as the best goal-scorer in Brazil and helped Colombia to reach the quarter-final for the first time in history.
5. He became the most expensive Colombian player in history when he transferred from AS Monaco to Real Madrid for €80 million (£63 million). His move makes him the fourth most expensive transfer in history.
Did you know these facts about James Rodriguez? Have your say in the comment section below.
