Arriving on what we now know is a free transfer from Real Madrid, James Rodríguez hasn’t taken long to have the desired impact at Everton.
Selected by Carlo Ancelotti in both Premier League games so far, the Colombian already has a goal and an assist to his name so far, and the Goodison Park faithful will be hoping that’s just the beginning.
However, things could have been very different had he signed for Atlético Madrid, which was an option a year ago, one he would have liked to take, according to his stepfather.
Speaking to El Carrusel Deportivo on Cadena SER, the player’s stepfather, Juan Carlos Restrepo was asked about Rodríguez and the opportunity to play under Simeone.
That didn’t happen, and there was no opportunity for it to do so this year, as Restrepo said that while there had been contacts with Simeone last season, that wasn’t the case this time around.
Instead, he went to Everton, where the stepfather explained James feels ‘very liberated’ after signing for the Toffees.
It’s shown on the pitch too, with Restrepo impressed with the midfielder’s performances: “I saw James’ games and if Messi does it, they put him in heaven, but when he does it, it’s normal”.
