00:00Is the best player in the history of the Colombian national team retiring? The question is open to discussion.
00:05Names and eras, but since Tuesday, September 15th, one thing is indisputable.
00:09James Rodríguez, protagonist of some of the greatest moments for the Colombian national team,
00:13He confirmed his retirement from the national team after 15 years wearing yellow.
00:17The left-footed player who led Colombia to the quarterfinals of a World Cup,
00:20who was a World Cup top scorer and who became the great symbol of a historic generation.
00:25James announced through his social media that he will not play for the national team again.
00:29A decision that puts an end to a relationship that began when she was barely 20 years old.
00:34His last dance was at the 2026 World Cup.
00:37James played in his third World Cup and Colombia once again advanced from the group stage.
00:41before saying goodbye in the round of 16 against Switzerland, in a dramatic penalty shootout.
00:46That match ended up being the final chapter of a story that had begun in October 2011.
00:51when Leonel Álvarez opened the doors of the senior national team for him.
00:54Since then, World Cups and Copa America tournaments have come and gone.
00:57There were also painful eliminations, injuries, criticism, and periods of absence.
01:01But one constant accompanied virtually his entire career.
01:04James found a special version of himself when he put on the Colombian jersey.
01:08The national team was his refuge and for many years also the stage where he showcased his best football.
01:13Brazil 2014 turned him into a global star, at just 22 years old and in his first World Cup.
01:19He finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals and won the golden boot.
01:23He scored in every match Colombia played and was the star of the team that reached the 1000 for the first time.
01:28quarter finals.
01:29His masterpiece came against Uruguay at the Maracanã.
01:32He controlled the ball with his chest, his back to the goal, turned, and unleashed a volley that went in after hitting it.
01:37on the crossbar.
01:38The goal was chosen as the best of Brazil 2014 and subsequently received the Puskas award.
01:43Weeks later, James was presented as a new Real Madrid player.
01:47However, his history with Colombia was much more than the World Cup.
01:51He transcended generations and coaches and reached an extraordinary level again in the 2024 Copa América.
01:57The Colombian national team reached the final undefeated and lost 1-0 against Argentina in extra time.
02:01It was the opportunity in which James came closest to winning the major title that eluded him with the
02:06selection.
02:07The numbers help to put his legacy into perspective.
02:09James retires after playing 131 games for Colombia.
02:13As the player with the most appearances in the history of the national team, he scored 31 goals and finished second.
02:18top scorer, second only to Radamel Falcao García.
02:22He also scored 14 goals in qualifiers, more than any other Colombian, and played 13 World Cup matches, another
02:29national record.
02:30His six World Cup goals, all scored in Brazil 2014, also represent the highest number ever scored by a Colombian.
02:36of the tournament.
02:37That's why his departure inevitably sparks a debate. Is James the best player the Colombian national team has ever had?
02:43Other figures left indelible marks, but no Colombian reached the individual heights that James reached in 2014 at a World Cup.
02:50He lacked a championship with Colombia, but his legacy can hardly be reduced to titles.
02:55James belonged to the generation that returned the country to a World Cup after 16 years, and ended up becoming
03:01one of the most recognized Colombian footballers on the planet.
03:04The debate about whether he was the best could last for years. What can hardly be disputed is that there was a time.
03:10in which the left foot of James Rodríguez was at the center of many of the dreams of the Colombian national team.
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