The year of 2014 was one in which James Rodriguez became a global superstar overnight.

His performances at the World Cup in Brazil with Colombia captivated the footballing world, with his wonder-goal against Uruguay one of the greatest strikes ever seen on the biggest stage of them all.

Rodriguez ended the tournament with six goals to his name, earning him a big-money move to Real Madrid from AS Monaco.

However, that dream move never really worked out, with Rodriguez struggling to break into the Los Blancos first-team on a regular basis.

He was often used out wide due to the sheer number of stars in the squad, a position that doesn't really cater to his needs.

Rodriguez was sent on a two-year loan to Bayern Munich back in 2017, excelling in his first season with the Bavarian club.

Injuries interrupted him in 2018/19, but he still managed seven goals and three assists in his 20 Bundesliga appearances.

But now, the German champions are not keen to make the deal permanent and Real are now actively looking to offload the player.

As reported by Marca, they will do just that for the measly fee of €40m and they're prepared to let bitter rivals Atletico Madrid snap him up for that bargain price.

Zinedine Zidane wants him off the wage bill and also wants to raise funds to pursue a move for Manchester United's Paul Pogba.

But it does seem baffling that a world-class player - who can fulfil a very similar role to Pogba - is being cast aside in such a way.

If Atletico act and complete the move, which they would be fools not to do, they will instantly become a much stronger outfit.

Be careful what you wish for, Zinedine...