- James Rodriguez moved to Qatari side Al-Rayyan SC in September 2021
- He has opened up on how his time in the country turned into a nightmare
- Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq are eighth in the league, without a win since October… his Saudi experiment could leave him up a creek without a paddle – It’s All Kicking Off
James Rodriguez has revealed that his spell in Qatar quickly turned into a nightmare when he moved to the country two years ago.
Rodriguez, who played for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich after winning the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup, joined Qatari side Al-Rayyan SC in 2021 after a brief stay at Everton.
But he would last just 12 months in the Middle East nation before leaving, and he has now explained why.
The 32-year-old opened up on two different scenarios involving showering and eating that left him bewildered and struggling to feel at home.
‘Life and culture in Qatar are very difficult, it was a country where it was difficult to adapt,’ Rodriguez said on the Brazilian TV channel Globo.
James Rodriguez (pictured) has revealed why he hated his 12-month stay in Qatar
He has claimed he was not allowed to shower naked, and was told to eat his food with his hands
‘You know that in football everyone is naked when they shower, but my teammates told me: “You can’t do it like that”. I was afraid.’
He added: ‘Everyone there eats with their hands, which was difficult for me. They shared it with me and I said, “No thanks”. I asked for cutlery and they told me: “No, with your hand” and I replied: “You guys are crazy, I won’t eat with my hand”.
The Colombian playmaker was also told that he should eat with his right hand rather than his left for personal hygiene reasons. Once again, this left him feeling uncomfortable and he asked for cutlery instead.
Having encountered these issues, Rodriguez decided to move on to Greek side Olympiacos in September 2022.
Rodriguez’s revelations come just a year after Qatar hosted the men’s World Cup, with Argentina beating France on penalties in the final.
Qatar were the first team knocked out of the tournament and they proved to be unpopular hosts amid rows over rainbow flags and attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community, while concerns were also raised over the treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums for the four-week event.
Rodriguez left Qatar after just one year, and now plays for Sao Paulo. He has admitted he has found it ‘hard’ to get used to the physical nature of games in Brazil
Rodriguez has since returned to South America to play for Sao Paulo in Brazil.
He scored just once in 12 Serie A appearances in 2023, and admitted the league has shocked him due to the physicality of the teams.
‘I thought the football here would be less physical, but it is very physical. The game is often stopped because of fouls and there are a lot of collisions,’ he said.
‘I thought it would be more technical. There are players with a lot of quality, but the game is very hard.’
