James Rodriguez did not want to celebrate his goal against his parent club.
He may be a Real Madrid player, but for this season and the next, at the very least, James Rodriguez is a Bayern Munich man. The Colombian star went on two-year long loan to the Bundesliga giants last summer.
Rodriguez requested the loan. He wanted out after his playing time under Zinedine Zidane was reduced. So his home, for now, is Munich.
Of course, Rodriguez drew against his old team in the semi-finals of the Champions League. That was always going to happen. Despite technically still being a Madrid player, the rules dictate that he is allowed play against Los Blancos in Europe’s premier club competition.
On the 63rd minute of the second leg, he brought the tie level at 2-2. (4-3 on aggregate). His initial effort was blocked but he sprinted into the box and applied the requisite finish. The goal made for an exciting finish. One more goal for Bayern Munich and they would have been through on away goals.
Not that you would be able to tell from his face. Rodriguez refused to celebrate in front of the Madrid fans. But a few members of the crowd let him know exactly what they thought about his perfectly fine goal.
There were a couple of Madrid fans who were brave enough to stand out from the crowd though.
As the camera panned across the fans, one man was seen clapping (blue circle below) the Colombian. His jaw was on the floor, he didn’t look particularly happy about it, but at least he showed his appreciation of the effort.
The camera moved a little further to reveal another glasses-wearing Madrid fan who actually appeared to thrilled for Rodriguez. He was seen cheering Rodriguez enthusiastically before a smile washed over his face.
No begrudgery from that brave soul.
