The Colombia star, who joined Los Blancos in 2014, has revealed that he was not allowed to seal an exit from the Santiago Bernabeu
James Rodriguez has revealed that he attempted to secure an exit from Real Madrid last season, only for the club to reject his desire to seek fresh opportunities elsewhere.
The Colombia international, who joined Los Blancos in 2014 on the back of a superb World Cup in Brazil, cut a fringe figure this term as Zinedine Zidane’s side claimed their first domestic title in three years, with only 419 minutes across eight league games in 2019-20 for the club.
With just 14 appearances across all competitions in his latest campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu, it has been another season of frustration for the winger, who returned to the fold following a two-year loan spell with Bayern Munich.
Though his trophy cabinet has been further furnished with success in La Liga, Rodriguez played a minimal role in that league title and has now opened up on his dejection, revealing that Madrid blocked a prospective move away to play regular football.
“Not playing is frustrating,” the 29-year-old revealed on the “Realeza del Fútbol Latino” podcast. “I know I have the conditions to always play, but because of other people, I cannot do it.
“If I were a bad player, I would accept it, but I’m a person who wants to win and always play.
“When you see you don’t have the same opportunities as your team-mates, it’s hard. I wanted to leave but the club wouldn’t let me.”
James has often struggled to find common ground in his relationship with Zidane, and acknowledged that his lack of chances under the Frenchman was a driving factor in his attempts to move on from Madrid.
“He has his own tastes for some players and you have to respect that,” he added. “I don’t get involved with things like that.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I would have played, as I knew that I wouldn’t have chances to do that under Zidane because he already has his base.”
Rodriguez’s future with Madrid remains up in the air as the 2020-21 season fast approaches. The Colombian’s contract expires June 2021, raising the possibility that he could leave on a free transfer next summer if he is unable to exit the club this off-season.
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