One of the marquee matchups of Matchday 4, León vs Monterrey, was set to feature a nostalgic showdown between two former Real Madrid stars: Sergio Ramos and James Rodríguez. But fans were left disappointed when James was ruled out at the last minute from Eduardo Berizzo’s squad. In his place, former Rayados midfielder Jordi Cortizo stepped in to fill the void left by the Colombian playmaker.
Monday’s clash, which Monterrey won 3-1, marks the first game that James has missed in the current Liga MX tournament. He had featured in all three of León’s opening matches in the Apertura 2025 and played in every Leagues Cup fixture against CF Montréal, New York City FC and Columbus Crew. He even opened his scoring account in the domestic league with a goal against Chivas.
What happened to James Rodríguez?
The former Rayo Vallecano man was sidelined due to muscle discomfort and didn’t even make the bench against Monterrey. It’s not the first time James has dealt with these kinds of issues since arriving in Guanajuato, but the silver lining for León is that the injury is expected to keep him out for only one or two matches.
When could James return for León?
The coaching staff has yet to disclose the full extent of James’s injury. The bad news for León is that their next match is coming up this Friday, giving James just three days to recover. That makes another absence likely. The smart move for the Colombian might be to sit out this week and aim for a return on August 23, when Los Esmeraldas host their sibling club, Pachuca, at home.