68 days to go…
We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day.
James Rodriguez
Japan v Colombia
Germany 2006 | Group H
Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba
It may not have come in the knockout phase or in front of 74,000 in one of the planet’s most iconic stadiums like his sport-shaking volley against Uruguay, but James Rodriguez’s third goal at Brazil 2014 was a beauty in its own right.
The Colombia No10 ran on to Adrian Ramos’s inch-perfect pass, turned Maya Yoshida inside out, and dinked the ball over Eiji Kawashima to capstone a 4-1 win over Japan that sent them through with nine points from a possible nine.
The goal, in the 90th minute of a match Jose Pekerman’s side didn’t even need to win, may have been meaningless at the time, but it proved paramount to James grabbing the adidas Golden Boot. Without it, indeed, the award would have gone to Thomas Muller.
