At 29-years-old, Everton FC’s James Rodríguez only has a few more years left representing the Colombia national team.
With the Copa América and potentially the 2022 FIFA World Cup next season, these could be Rodríguez’s last tournaments with the South American country. The Everton superstar spoke about playing for Colombia and what the future holds for him in an interview with “La Linterna.”
One of the first questions that Rodríguez answered is deciding the most important game he’s partaken in with Colombia.
“All the games with this shirt are very important,” Rodríguez said. “I think I have 79 or 80 games, and I take them all with great importance, even if they are friendly. When you wear this shirt, you have to give it your all, always be on edge. Every time I wear this shirt, it’s like it’s my first day.”
The next question is over playing alongside one of the better players to come out of Colombia in Radamel Falcao. The two players have been teammates at the national team level and in their club career.
“For me, it is a great pride to be playing with him in the National Team. We also did it in Porto, in Monaco,” Rodríguez said. “Falcao is a person that I admire a lot, and he makes me very proud to have shared these moments with him. I hope he will be with us in the National Team for much longer.”
Finally, the Everton midfielder’s last question is when he will decide to retire from international competition. Rodríguez turns 30 this summer, so he discussed how many years he’d like to play for Colombia in these next few years.
“I haven’t given that much thought,” Rodríguez said. “I can’t say right now the exact place to retire. I think there is little left because I don’t want to play until I’m very old, but I want to enjoy it to the fullest over these years to come. Every time I come to the National Team, I need less.”