Real Madrid comeback unlikely for James Rodriguez despite Ancelotti appointment

James Rodriguez has been linked to a possible Real Madrid comeback after the cub announced the reinstatement of Carlo Ancelotti as head coach. The pair enjoyed working together in three different clubs in the past, but James has admitted that it will be a longshot for Los Blancos to call him back to reunite with the manager.

It may be remembered that it was Ancelotti who was in charge of the Spanish giants when James was brought in fresh from a stellar performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Los Blancos acquired the "Golden Boy" of the tournament, who was playing with AS Monaco on the club level at the time.

He played a few underwhelming years in the Spanish capital before coming back under Ancelotti's wing on loan to Bayern Munich in Germany from 2017-2019. He then returned to Real Madrid to wallow on the bench when his loan spell ended, but Ancelotti came to rescue once again in 2020. The Italian was in charge of Premier League side Everton by then, and facilitated a transfer to bring in the Colombian.

Now, Ancelotti is back with Los Blancos and many are asking if that means a comeback for James as well. "Return to Real Madrid [to play] under Ancelotti? I don't know, I don't think so. We'll see. If I stay another year at Everton, that's fine," he said, sounding lukewarm about going in either direction.

After enjoying a stellar start to the 2020-21 Premier League season, James and Everton eventually fell to the wayside, ending up in eighth place after batting for the top spot in the early stages.

James has started to face criticism similar to what he endured in Spain. The rumblings grew after he suffered fitness issues later in the season. The same fitness problems have landed him in a feud with the Colombian national team, after he was left out of this summer's Copa America. "I don't agree with the decision of the [Colombia] coaching staff because they disrespected me," said James as quoted by Marca.