The father of James Rodriguez believes the Real Madrid midfielder is suffering from “the price of fame” after heavy scrutiny of his private life.
Injuries and poor form this season have prevented James from replicating the type of displays which earned him a €80m transfer to Madrid in the summer of 2014, but stories of an extravagant lifestyle and a high-speed police chase have also attracted unwanted publicity.
“[Times like these] are tough and as a parent you want the best for your children,” Wilson Rodriguez told Caracol Radio.
“These are hard times, but that’s football and slumps are normal.
“Big teams are very demanding and there’s little room for forgiveness, but all their players are top professionals and so is James.
“It hurts to hear things [about James’ private life] which aren’t true, but that’s the price of fame.
“He should be supported in these difficult situations, but I’m calm because this will pass.
“James is very young and still has a great future ahead of him.
“He is now focused on working, working and working and needs to get back up and be strong mentally.
“In the League, there are no opportunities [for the title] left, so [Madrid] must focus on the Champions League and fight for it.”
