James Rodriguez's career has gradually declined since bursting onto the scene at the 2014 World Cup with Colombia and earning a move to Real Madrid.

During his three years in Spain, the 27-year-old went from golden boy to bench warmer under Zinedine Zidane due to inconsistent performances.

Rodriguez was even accused of being fat by the Spanish press in January 2016, which didn't go down very well.

"The talk really annoys me," Rodriguez told Marca. "My people know how I act and that I always seek to take good care of myself. I'm a professional.

"What's been said about me going out a lot at night is a lie. It really annoys me that people doubt me and say I'm looking fat."

Things didn't get much better for Rodriguez at Real Madrid and in the summer of 2017 he was shipped to Bayern Munich on a two-season loan.

The Colombia international has shown glimpses of his talent in Germany, but ultimately he looks a shadow of the player who lit up Brazil with that stunning turn and volley against Uruguay.

In the Bundesliga he's scored three goals and recorded zero assists this season, which is pretty abysmal for an attacking midfielder.

Bayern need Rodriguez to start contributing more if they're going to stop Borussia Dortmund from dethroning them as Bundesliga champions, so the Bavarians have taken drastic action.

According to German newspaper Bild, Bayern have put Rodriguez on a strict diet to help him rediscover his best form. It's made up of 13 key parts:

1. Eat five meals per day, don't skip any of them

2. Eat a piece of fruit or a skimmed yoghurt at mid-morning and mid-afternoon

3. Drink water in between meals

4. Don't change the composition of the meals

5. One meat can be swapped for another (apart from pork) and the same with fish

6. Use sweeteners instead of sugar in coffee

7. Don't use more than five grams of oil in salads and toast

8. Diet can be ignored for one meal on one day

9. Certain meals can be swapped for salad, meat or grilled fish

10. Never skip breakfast

11. Only one cup of coffee or tea with skimmed milk

12. One slice of toast with olive oil or light cheese or two slices of ham

13. Eat fresh fruit

Sounds... delicious.

Rodriguez is set to return to Real Madrid at the end of the season, though it's a wonder where he will end up for the 2019/20 campaign.

Arsenal and Chelsea are reported suitors, but the Colombian needs to sort himself out before he can even think about joining a new club to reignite his career.