James rose to stardom for his performances at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, notching eight goal involvements (six goals, two assists) for Colombia at the tournament. 

He became the first player to score in every single game he played in at the World Cup since Jairzinho did so for Brazil at the 1970 edition.

James picked up the Golden Boot at the tournament as Colombia was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Brazil, though missed out on the Golden Ball to Lionel Messi. 

The Colombian's performances attracted the attention of Madrid, which completed a reported £63million deal to secure his services from Ligue 1 side Monaco. 

James made 125 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos, only 94 of which were from the start, scoring 37 goals and contributing 42 assists. 

He went on to win nine major honours with Madrid, including the Champions League in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, before being sent out on loan to Bayern Munich. 

James left Madrid in 2020, and enjoyed spells at Everton, Olympiacos and Rayo Vallecano. Now he plays his football in Mexico with Leon. 

When questioned about his time in the Spanish capital, Rodriguez believed that at the peak of his powers, he was better than some Galacticos. 

"Zidane was very good. In his prime he won the World Cup, but… James. In my prime, James," he said. He repeated the same response when asked to pick between himself and Modric, Kroos, and Xavi.

James also tipped current Madrid talisman, Jude Bellingham, to lift the prestigious Ballon d'Or one day because of his excellent displays since joining the club. 

Having helped Madrid to Champions League and LaLiga glory in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham finished third in the rankings, one place behind team-mate Vinicius Junior as Manchester City's Rodri scooped the award.

Since making the move to Madrid, Bellingham has registered 34 goals and 24 assists in 81 appearances across all competitions, with his debut campaign seeing him notch 36 goal involvements (23 goals, 13 assists) for Carlo Ancelotti's side. 

After his displays in 2014, James finished eighth in the Ballon d'Or voting but acknowledged he was up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. 

"I scored more than 14 goals and 15 assists, I think. It was a spectacular year, similar to the year Bellingham had in his first season. I really like the way he plays," James said. 

"I think he could win a Ballon d'Or. Of course, to win the Ballon d'Or, I had Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi, [Luis] Suarez, Neymar... in 2014. 

"I finished eighth, with these greats ahead of me. Yes, I would have liked to win the Ballon d'Or. I came close, but it's true that I was more focused on winning titles like the Champions League."