There’s renewed concern that James Rodriguez, the Colombian captain who was loaned to Bayern Munich this summer from Real Madrid, might not perform up to his standards because of his divorce with Daniela Ospina, according to Alejandra Santamaria, a sports medical doctor. Ms. Santamaria said that James will need support to overcome any lingering issues from his recent divorce after an 8-year marriage.
“The amount of mental training doesn’t matter when facing an athletic challenge, because external reasons can interfere and generate a crisis”, Alejandra Santamaria said.
Santamaria said that athletes know how to manage personal situations and high pressure, and that James’ young age could contribute to a quick recovery. Still, James’s ex-wife is the sister of Daniel Ospina, the Colombian national team goal keeper. The two were considered to be friends, but the divorce is likely to put strain on their relationship, both on and off the field.
Jonathan Bustamante Villanueva, a trainer for the athletic company High Performance in Sports, was also interviewed about James Rodríguez. Bustamante said that in Colombian culture, Colombians are very close to their families, and thus a divorce affects everyone in a profound way. However Bustamante also said that James could use sports as an outlet for frustrations in his personal life, and it could, in fact, have a positive impact.
James Rodriguez and Daniel Ospina will play on the same field together again for the first time since Rodriguez’s divorce from Daniel’s sister on August 31st in World Cup qualifying against Venezuela.
