James Rodríguez’s fitness raises concerns | OneFootball

With two months to go before the 2026 World Cup, James Rodríguez’s physical condition is causing huge concern. Minnesota United revealed that the captain of the Colombian national team is suffering from a “serious” health problem, which ruled him out of the match against LA Galaxy.

The former FC Porto player’s clinical situation has worsened in recent days. After the friendly against France, James was hospitalized for three days due to “severe dehydration,” and the lack of information from the MLS club about his physical condition has fueled speculation.

Colombia, which failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has strong ambitions for the next tournament, where it will face Portugal in Group K, along with DR Congo and Uzbekistan. The team coached by Néstor Lorenzo, which includes names such as Sporting player Luis Suárez, Benfica’s Richard Ríos, and former Porto player Luis Díaz, reached the Copa América final in 2024 and is considered more competitive than it was four years ago.

However, James’s condition, a central figure in the team for more than a decade, remains the main unknown. In the recent warm-up matches against Croatia (1-2) and France (1-3), the midfielder was on the pitch for only 63 minutes in each game before being substituted, highlighting a level of fitness below what is required for a World Cup.

Although no one questions the midfielder’s quality, which took him from Monaco to Real Madrid after a brilliant 2014 World Cup, his current performances are being affected. Since arriving at Minnesota United in February, the 34-year-old playmaker has featured in only two matches, totaling just 41 minutes on the field.

To regain full fitness and secure a place at the World Cup, the midfielder needs to rack up playing time. With ten MLS matches left before the end of the season, he has the chance to add as many as 900 minutes, something that would be crucial to his preparation.

It is worth remembering that a similar process was key to his success at the 2024 Copa América. At that time, while playing for São Paulo, a good run of matches allowed him to arrive at the tournament in excellent form, where, despite not winning the final, he was named the best player of the tournament. The cafeteros hope that James can repeat the formula and once again lead the national team at a World Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.