‘Magnificent’ – Doucoure claims Real Madrid made a mistake selling Rodriguez
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure believes that Real Madrid “made a mistake” by allowing James Rodriguez to make a move to Goodison Park.
The Colombian international joined the Merseyside club over the summer for £28.8 million (via Transfermarkt), after six years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
His time with the club was punctuated by a two-year loan spell at Bayern Munich, with the attacking midfielder out of favour under Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
Asked about Rodriguez’s move to Everton, Doucoure described him as a “magnificent footballer”.
“I think Real Madrid made a mistake by letting him go,” he said (via Sport Witness)
“I was able to talk to him. He told me Zidane had his starting XI, and it was hard to break in. Real Madrid have a lot of great players, but James is a magnificent footballer. He has everything. I understand why they paid €80m for him.
“He had a good spell at Bayern Munich even if he wasn’t kept. Sooner or later, he’ll return to a very big club, because he’s got great qualities. He was just lacking minutes and confidence.
“This year, he’s at his level, he’s good mentally and physically. He’s also with a manager who knows him well. We all benefit from it. I’ve always dreamt of finding myself with great players. These days, that’s the case. I hope it’s not going to stop there”.
The 29-year-old made a lightning start to life at Everton, scoring three goals and proving three assists in his first five Premier League matches (via WhoScored). However, he has gone off the boil since and has not contributed either a goal or an assist in his last four league appearances.
Overall, he remains one of the club’s most creative players, averaging 2.6 key passes, 2.1 completed dribbles and 2.1 shots per match (via WhoScored).
Against Leeds United he had a goal disallowed for offside and was largely influential, making five key passes.
Given his pedigree, there is little doubt that the Colombian will get back on the scoresheet soon.
In other Everton news, here are three things we learned from the Toffees’ 1-0 defeat to Leeds United