"He didn't run at Bayern, how would he run here?" - Rafinha slams former teammate James

"He didn't run at Bayern, how would he run here?" - Rafinha slams former teammate James

BeSoccer 6 months ago 694 |

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Rafinha criticised James' short spell at Sao Paulo. Screenshot

Rafinha was the special guest of the 'Podcast Denílson Show', in which the Sao Paulo player, in addition to reviewing his team's current affairs, harshly criticised James Rodríguez. The winger, who shared dressing room with the Colombian at Bayern and the Brazilian team, criticised the attitude of the player from Cucuta during his time with the 'Tricolor Paulista'.

At 39 years of age, Rafinha is facing his last experiences in the world of football. The full-back, who finishes his contract with Sao Paulo on December 31st, 2024, said a year ago that his intention was to hang up his boots once his contract with the institution expired.

The Brazilian, who is still playing, was the protagonist of the 'Denílson Show Podcast', directed by former footballer Denílson de Oliveira Araújo. During a moment of the extensive interview, the player slammed his former teammate James Rodriguez.

Rafinha shared dressing room with the player from Cucuta at Bayern and Sao Paulo, and did not hesitate to criticise the attitude with which he landed at the Brazilian team, where he played 22 games in a one-year stint. “We played together at Bayern, we were champions of everything. I had the utmost respect to call him. We talked the whole vacation for him to come. When he came here we had a fight. He got angry with me because I reprimanded him. James is the Ronaldo of Colombia, the biggest star among the boys, but in Sao Paulo there was a group of little soldiers. He came and thought he had to play,” the defender began.

“We started to give him some advice, to train a bit more to get fitter soon and then he complained: 'It's not my style.' And really... he didn't even run at Bayern, how was he going to run here? Then time passed and he felt he didn't have the prestige he should have. He felt discredited, he wanted more attention for himself. But there was no way. The coach (Dorival) came to him and said, 'The way you train, how am I going to field you? Who am I going to take out of the team?'”

Personality is what failed the 'cafetero' according to the words of Rafinha, who highlighted the professionalism of his former teammate. “He was never disrespectful to anyone. He was never late and did his job properly. He went to the club and did the things he had to do. It's good to say it too, because the fans only see us on Saturday or Sunday, they haven't seen us all week,” he finished.