Rodriguez prepared to fight for his place at Real

Reuters , Monday 30 May 2016

Real Madrid
Real Madrid's Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez lifts the trophy after Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League final football match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at San Siro Stadium in Milan, on May 28, 2016 (AFP)

Colombian international James Rodriguez sees his future at the Bernabeu stadium despite getting a lot less game time for Real Madrid in his second season.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder scored 17 goals and contributed 17 assists in 43 starts in the 2014-15 campaign after joining Real from Monaco but he made just 21 starts in all competitions in his second year.

Reports in Spain have linked Rodriguez with Manchester United and Paris St Germain.

"In football you never know but I want to continue here and my idea is to have many more years with the club," he told Marca.

"I am happy here. All the people close to me are happy too. It's the ideal club and I want to be here."

Rodriguez watched Saturday's Champions League final triumph over Atletico Madrid from the bench and admitted the season had been "a bit strange".

"I would have liked to play but I did contribute to the team's success," he said. "When you have bad times you also learn from them and each day I learn more."

Rodriguez, who is under contract with Real until 2020, was the leading scorer in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

He will captain Colombia in next month's Copa America.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

 
Short link: