If, like us, you’ve spent most of the summer reading articles about James Rodriguez leaving Everton; you’re probably sick of him by this point.
The Colombian was a star signing for Everton last summer when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge, but, like with the Italian, things turned sour before too long.
His lack of fitness, lack of effort and the occasional disappointing performance meant that by the time this summer rolled around, the Blues were happy to let him go.
With Ancelotti gone, it became clear that Rodriguez wanted out too but finding a suitor proved to be a difficult prospect because nobody wanted to pay his wages.
That ultimately left Everton with a player on huge wages that they didn’t want, their manager definitely didn’t want, and who didn’t really want to be there either.
They eventually got their wish this week when Rodriguez signed for Qatari side Al-Rayyan, a move that some have questioned, given it’s a significant step down for a player whose starred for the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
It seems, though, we have an answer as to why it was such an attractive prospect; it was all about money.
Semana report today that the ‘controversial move’ has seen Rodriguez establish himself among the best-paid players in world football with a deal that ensures the ‘financial rewards will be great’.
According to their information, Rodriguez will earn the ‘not inconsiderable sum’ of €12m a year in Qatar, a figure comparable to some of the biggest names in Europe.
Paul Pogba, for example, earns €15m a year at Manchester United, while Luis Suarez and Eden Hazard both pick up €14m. Even Kylian Mbappe only earns €18m a year at PSG, and few would argue he’s not a considerably more valuable player than Rodriguez at this point.
Compare it to Radamel Falcao, who took an 80% pay cut to move to Rayo Vallecano, and it looks like an incredible deal in more ways than one.
But it does mean that when we see Rodriguez talking about the level of the league, being happy and everything else, we know it’s tempered by the fact that he’s earning a huge sum at his new club.
