Real Madrid drowned their sorrows in goals against Getafe on an anticlimactic final day for 'Los Blancos'. Nevertheless, one of the straws the fans are clutching at ahead of next season is James RodrÃguez, who has proven that he is a player capable of great things.
The Colombian bagged Real's fifth goal in the meaningless rout with a free-kick worthy of any highlights reel, curling the ball perfectly around the wall and into the net. This was far from the first excellent set piece he has delivered this season, so the team have a fine alternative to Cristiano Ronaldo, who had himself netted from an earlier free-kick but has hardly set the world alight on this score in recent times.
James's strike took him level with Gareth Bale on 17 goals for the season and 13 in La Liga, although the Colombia international played two fewer league games and, unlike the Welshman, has been tasked with combining his attacking instincts with defensive duties.
The former Monaco, Porto and Banfield star took stock of the campaign after the match: "It's been a good season. We were close on every front, but luck didn't go our way much. We also had a lot of people out through injury between January and March, but we made mistakes that we have to learn from. Next year we'll do better".
The Colombian also spoke about Carlo Ancelotti, making it quite clear that he wants the Italian to stay: "It would be tough to take and a bit of a shock if the boss left. He's been here for two years and he knows what we're about and how we perform, but it's not my place to talk about it".
