Reinaldo Rueda’s Decision to Not Call Up James Rodriguez: An Inside Look and Explanation

2023-12-24 02:05:42

Rueda, among other things, was questioned for not calling up, for many, the best player in the history of the Colombian National Team, James Rodríguez, on several occasions. But Reinaldo wants to get rid of all the criticism, that’s why he talked regarding the reasons why he didn’t call ’10’.

“Everything happens in the moment of the player. As I told James, I didn’t want to abuse him or use him. I told him: ‘I prefer that you stop playing five games, but that you play five more years for the National Team. I prefer that you take a vacation, a mental cleanse, that that muscle recovers. I don’t want to use you in three games and not be able to do it in two and more for the Copa América, consecutive games, long trips.’ He was coming from an injury, he did not arrive at the ideal time,” said the coach in Olfato de Gol with Tomy Arguelles.

Reinaldo Rueda. (Getty Images) | Foto: 2022 Getty Images

“He had suffered a lot and I wanted him to have his vacation, to do good conditioning and a complete preseason and for that you have to have ideal vacations. If there is no rest, they arrive at the preseason tired. When he played 5 or 6 games with Al Rayyan, suffering from the style of football and the temperatures, I invited him to come back, he thought regarding it, came back and did everything he might to recover his level, which was not easy. An excellent human being, a great professional, competitive, demanding of himself, a great leader, he makes himself loved. I hope it lasts for many years for the good of Colombian football,” he added.

Despite Reinaldo Rueda’s explanation, many Colombians will forever remember the decisions he made with James. Several fans consider that the non-presence of the current São Paulo player deprived the National Team of going to the World Cup.

Precisely, Reinaldo Rueda also emphasized this failure of Colombia. He considered the non-classification as a very strong blow, which taught him and his work team a lot.

Reinaldo Rueda, coach of Honduras. | Photo: Fenafuth

“It is one of the hard lessons of football, it hits too hard because of what it means to bring joy to people. Nobody is a prophet in their own land. Players from Honduras and Ecuador gave us the professional satisfaction of qualifying for a World Cup. Strong blows teach and strengthen. “We are paving the way for another dream,” he stated.

1703401924
#Reinaldo #Rueda #reveals #reason #call #James #Rodríguez #National #Team #prefer #stop #playing

Leave a Replay