Richard Ríos tops Porto legend clash, Benfica midfielder shines | OneFootball

Colombia got the better of Bolivia and defeated their opponents in a match counting towards the qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which secured the Colombians' place in the competition. Richard Ríos started the match and ended up being involved in a disagreement with his own national team captain.

The disagreement between Richard Ríos and James Rodríguez has been reported by the local press, and at its center is an attitude from the Benfica midfielder towards a teammate that did not sit well with the captain of the Colombian national team.

When the referee blew the whistle for halftime, Richard Ríos gestured towards Jefferson Lerma. He then stormed off to the locker room, a move that did not go unnoticed by former Porto player James Rodríguez, who reprimanded the Eagles' midfielder with some irritation, albeit unsuccessfully. Ríos was the first Colombian player to leave the field, with the rest of his teammates heading to the locker room moments later.

The Colombian press, closely following the incident, also points out that a statement made by James Rodríguez after the final whistle was, nothing more and nothing less, than a veiled jab at Richard Ríos, regarding his attitude after the first 45 minutes of the match.

"I am more focused on the positive things from all these games, from all these years... I just want to be happy now, because time goes by quickly," said the former Porto player, in what could indeed be a subtle dig at his national teammate and Benfica midfielder.

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