James Rodriguez has revealed that he drank the bottle of Echo Falls wine handed to him by an Everton supporter outside Goodison Park, but he never got to play a competitive match in front of the club's home fans. The Colombian playmaker, who joined Everton on a free transfer from Real Madrid in September 2020, made 26 appearances and scored six goals for the Blues, but most of his games were played behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions.
Regret Over Everton Departure
Speaking to Everton's official YouTube channel in 2024, Rodriguez expressed his desire to have stayed longer at the club. He said: "I've spoken about this in interviews before and I didn't want to leave the club either, but the new manager had arrived, and we all know who that is, and he said I wasn't going to feature in his plans. I never wanted to leave, that much is obvious, I felt I could have gone on to play two or three seasons more at the club but it's plain to see that the manager said that he wouldn't be wanting me to be involved at all."
The manager in question was Rafael Benitez, who took over after Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid. Rodriguez had previously clashed with Benitez during their time together at Real Madrid. The result was a transfer to Qatari club Al-Rayyan for an undisclosed fee. Rodriguez added: "The supporters wanted me to stay, and so did I, but in the end, that's just football for you. What happened then is now all in the past, but it was a real shame because I believed that I could have gone on to achieve more in my time at Everton Football Club. I feel like I could have brought more happiness to the fans."
The Wine Gift
Rodriguez recalled the moment an Everton fan gave him a bottle of Echo Falls wine on County Road after a home win. He said: "Yes, as I was leaving after the game, the guy spotted me and came right up to me and said: 'Hang on, hang on, I've got something for you', and he handed me a bottle of red! I remember we'd just won our first home game, so he gave me the wine and, of course, I drank it at home."
World Cup Glory
Rodriguez shot to fame at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he won the Golden Boot with six goals. He scored in every group game: a goal and two assists against Greece, a goal and an assist against Ivory Coast, and a goal and two assists against Japan. In the Round of 16 against Uruguay, he scored both goals, including a stunning left-foot volley that was voted the best goal of the tournament by over four million fans on FIFA's website and won the Puskas Award. Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said: "For me, special talents are those who do things that are completely out of the ordinary. Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, James Rodriguez – they do things because they have certain gifts that make them special. I believe he's the best player at the World Cup and I don't think I'm exaggerating."
In the quarter-finals against Brazil, Rodriguez scored a penalty but Colombia lost 2-1. He was widely expected to win the Golden Ball for best player, but the award went to Argentina's Lionel Messi, a decision criticized by Diego Maradona and then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Current Career
Now 34, Rodriguez plays for Minnesota United in Major League Soccer. On July 7, 2026, he aims to lead Colombia into the World Cup quarter-finals against Switzerland in Vancouver.
