Munich, Germany: Zinedine Zidane insists James Rodriguez has nothing to prove to him when the Colombian faces Real Madrid with Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final, first leg, on Wednesday. James has shone at Bayern since Zidane let him leave Real on a two-year loan deal last July at the end of three often difficult seasons in Madrid. The Colombian attacking midfielder has rediscovered his best form while playing regularly again and has the chance in Munich to show Real and Zidane what they are missing.
“James loves to play football, so of course he’ll want to play well, but not to show me or prove me wrong,” said Real coach Zidane. “I didn’t want James to leave. He wanted more game time, which I can understand. “I never had any problem with him, he just wanted to play.” Madrid paid Monaco 75 million euros ($91.7m) for James after he finished top scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and he made an impressive start in his first season. However, Zidane’s appointment as Madrid coach in January 2016 set him back as the Frenchman gave him limited opportunities and often left him on the bench. — AFP
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