James Rodriguez spent 72 hours in hospital with severe dehydration after Colombia's 3-1 friendly loss to France. Not a knock, not a muscle problem — dehydration severe enough to require clinical monitoring. The Colombian football federation was at pains to clarify it's "unrelated to any musculoskeletal injuries and not linked to the performance of his footballing activities." Which only raises more questions than it answers.
Rodriguez was substituted in the 63rd minute against France, visibly off the pace throughout. What looked like a below-par performance turned out to be something more serious. He was transferred to a hospital in Minnesota — where he plays for MLS side Minnesota United — for recovery and monitoring.
A player who hasn't really played
Here's the context that makes this genuinely concerning: Rodriguez joined Minnesota United in February and has managed just 39 minutes of football since. Thirty-nine. Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo has already drawn criticism for fielding him against France and in a previous friendly against Croatia despite that obvious lack of match fitness. Starting a player with barely any game time in warm-up matches at this intensity — and at 34 — now looks like a decision that backfired badly.
Minnesota United said they'd update his availability for the weekend clash with LA Galaxy on Friday. That fixture feels almost irrelevant against the bigger picture.
Colombia's Group K problem
Colombia face Uzbekistan, DR Congo and Portugal in Group K at this summer's World Cup. Rodriguez — their captain, their talisman, the man who won the Golden Boot at the 2014 tournament — arriving underprepared or underdone would be a significant setback. Portugal alone is a stern enough test without your most important player having spent the build-up in a hospital bed.
Anyone pricing up Colombia's group stage prospects should factor in that their captain has played less than an hour of competitive football in months. His fitness isn't uncertain — it's genuinely unknown.
The federation's statement said his World Cup participation remains on track, but they would say that. The 72 hours in hospital tells a different story.
