Colombia World Cup 2014: Meet James Rodriguez, The World's Next Superstar

James, pronounced ‘Hames’ in Spanish, Rodriguez. If you have not heard of him yet, don’t worry you soon will. James Rodriguez is 22 years old and plays his club football at AS Monaco in France. He has burst onto the international scene scoring two goals in Colombia’s first two games, one of those coming as he beat Didier Drogba in the air to beat the Ivory Coast.

Not only has the 22-year old been Colombia’s best player in the tournament thus far, he’s been one of the best players at the World Cup in general. His pristine passing and fluid movement on the ball has caught the eyes of many across the world and AS Monaco will surely have to ward off some of Europe’s best clubs if they want to retain the young Colombian in the future.

James Rodriguez started his professional playing career at Envigado Futbol Club in 2007 where he scored 9 goals in 30 appearances over the course of a year. He then moved on to Argentina where he played for Club Atletico Banfield making 42 appearances and scoring 5 goals over the course of two years. It was in 2010 that he made the big move to European side Porto where over the span of three years, he scored an astounding 25 goals in 63 appearances. (Remember, he was only 18 years old when he signed with the Portuguese side.)

Then in 2013 AS Monaco paid €45 million for his services, making it the second most expensive transfer in Portuguese football history. Rodriguez signed a five-year contract with the French club, which should keep him in the south of France until 2018. In his short time with the club, the young Colombian has already scored 9 goals in only 34 appearances. And those numbers will only go up.

Rodriguez has captivated the world already gaining the praise of Colombian coach Jose Pekerman who stated, “He’s better than good. He has developed, matured, he takes responsibility. He is among the best players in the tournament.” It is quite the honor for Rodriguez to be put into the same limelight as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben, etc. Yes, the expectations are high for the young Colombian, but he has met every challenge he has faced so far.

The beauty of the World Cup is that we as soccer fans are exposed to players like Rodriguez. Before this tournament I had never heard of the name, but I can guarantee you, that this young man will be a name that will strike fear in the hearts of coaches and players around the world for years to come.