Shame on you, Rafa Benitez, as new James Rodriguez story cuts Everton Deep

Rafa Benitez isn’t popular in the blue half of Merseyside, and what happened with James Rodriguez will only make matters worse.

Everton fired Rafa Benitez in 2022 after a disastrous six months in command at Goodison Park.

The Spaniard averaged only 1.14 points per game, which is simply not good enough.

To make matters worse, Benitez informed Jamie Carragher that his desire to coach Everton stemmed from the fact that his family lived in Liverpool, which is a red flag in itself.

Everton fans will be even more upset with the 64-year-old now that a decision he made in 2021 regarding James Rodriguez has come back to haunt the club.

James Rodriguez has been nominated for FIFA’s World’s Best XI

Despite only appearing in 23 league games for the Toffees, James Rodriguez’s world-class potential was instantly apparent, as he scored six goals in that period.

Since leaving Everton, he has played for Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos, Sao Paulo, and Rayo Vallecano.

Rodriguez was voted the Best Player of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 this summer after scoring one goal and providing six assists, setting a competition record.

This has single-handedly put the attacking midfielder in contention for a spot in FIFA’s World’s Best XI, as he has been named as one of the midfield nominees.

Rafa Benitez’s mistake to get rid of James Rodriguez

Rafa Benitez and James Rodriguez just did not get along when he took over at Everton, which was due in part to their past experience together at Real Madrid.

Interestingly, Rodriguez stated that he imagined himself lasting another two or three years on Merseyside before the Spaniard arrived. That implies he might have continued to play for Everton until today.

“Yes, 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 that I wasn’t going to feature in his plans,” he said.

“I never wanted to leave, that much is obvious. I felt that 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 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.”

Benitez’s choice to push James Rodriguez now appears even worse, given that he still maintains those skills from his summer exploits.

Everton are now lacking an attacking midfielder capable of seizing control of the game and creating opportunities, which is what Rodriguez’s game is all about.

Dwight McNeil has struggled in the number 10 position, while Iliman Ndiaye has been favoured out wide.