Real Madrid's Colombian international James Rodriguez said that he has been a fan of the club for virtually all his life.
Rodriguez, who joined Real Madrid for 80 million euros after the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, said he had "been with Madrid since the time they had Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, the biggest stars. From the age of 11 I have always followed Real Madrid," he said, adding that he had dreamed of joining the club, reports Xinhua.
"I wanted to leave France and I knew that if I had a good World Cup I could. I was very motivated to perform well because then I could join a big team."
Rodriguez needed time to adapt to his new club and found himself on the subs' bench on several occasions at the start of the campaign, but accepted the situation.
"I knew I had to adapt but through working hard I could improve and I know that I can still improve," said James, who is full of praise for Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
"He is a fairly quiet coach and he has a lot of experience who has been at big teams," he said, saying he would adapt to play wherever required.
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"I will always be available. Without doubt, I like to play as a playmaker, close to the penalty area. But I have played in every position from central midfield to attack," said James, who was asked which of his companions had surprised him the most.
"All of them have a lot of quality but perhaps the one that has surprised me the most is Isco," he replied.