Rayo Vallecano have history with high-profile Colombian signings, and they do not come much bigger than Radamel Falcao. The iconic forward left Rayo this summer on a free, but international teammate James Rodriguez will replace him.
👑The MVP of the Copa América 2024 arrives at the club in the centenary season.
Rayo announced that he would be returning to La Liga for the first time since leaving Real Madrid in 2020 four years ago. Not since 2017 has he played meaningful minutes in La Liga though, with a two-year loan at Bayern Munich included in his spell at Los Blancos between 2017 and 2019. Back in Madrid, Vallecas will be his fourth home ground in as many years.
James left Brazilian giants Sao Paulo in July following a sublime Copa America campaign with Colombia, winning the Player of the Tournament award as they reached the final.
Rodriguez laid on six assists throughout the tournament, breaking the single-edition record set by Lionel Messi at the 2021 competition (since records began in 2011).
He also led all players at the tournament for chances created, with 20, with 14 of those coming from set-pieces.
The 33-year-old, who spent six years with Real Madrid between 2014 and 2020, has now returned to the city with Rayo, who narrowly avoided relegation last term.
James has penned an initial one-year deal with Inigo Perez's side, with an option to extend his stay for a further 12 months.
Rayo have collected four points from their first two games of the season in LaLiga, beating Real Sociedad 2-1 and playing out a goalless draw with Getafe. They are next in action against Barcelona on Tuesday.