Everton star James Rodriguez outshines Messi, Suarez and other South Americans

It appears as though Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti knows something that Zinedine Zidane doesn't. After signing Real Madrid outcast James Rodriguez, Everton is now sitting at the top of the Premier League table. As compared to other prominent South Americans across Europe's top leagues, James is dominating the current season with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez trailing behind.

After seeing his very awkward smiles during Real Madrid's La Liga title celebrations just a couple of months ago, no one would have predicted that James would be the Premier League's star of the season so far. James hardly made a contribution for the Spanish champions last season, as he spent most of his time warming the bench or sitting at home.

Zidane was vocal about not including James in his plans for the future, so it came as a massive relief for the Colombian footballer's fans when Ancelotti managed to bring him to the Premier League. While it was expected that he would have more playing time, it came as a big surprise that his star is shining even brighter than before. He has scored three goals and three assists in five games so far. Everton now leads the table with Premier League stars like Mohamed Salah, Paul Pogba, Virgil van Dijk and Kevin de Bruyne unable to match his performance.

According to Marca, James' presence has lifted the quality of the entire squad. The 2014 FIFA World Cup top scorer is also the most dominating South American across Europe at the moment. Messi has only managed to score one goal for FC Barcelona in La Liga so far.

Luis Suarez, who got the boot from the Catalans rather unceremoniously this summer, has scored two goals and made one assists for his new club, Atletico Madrid. Over at Ligue 1, Brazilian forward Neymar has already been at the centre of a racial abuse controversy and has also scored two goals and one assist in three games.

It's still very early in the season, but the buzz around James is deafening. It remains to be seen how much impact he will have for Everton's title hopes. Last season, they only managed to finish in 12th place in the Premier League.