By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- 2017 German Champions Bayern Munich are hoping for the "Robben effect" after Columbian striker James Rodriguez joined the club on loan from Real Madrid for two years.
Like Rodriguez, Robben, who joined Bayern in 2009, was unhappy on the bench in Spain's capital, but while in Munich developed into one of Europe's best in the following years.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti is convinced that Rodriguez will improve Bayern's quality. The Italian expects the 26-year-old to return to top form in Munich after Real coach Zinedine Zidane ignored him in previous months, including Rodriguez being excluded from the squad for the recent Champions League final.
While the Rodriguez deal could cost Bayern up to 48 million euros, the club wants to benefit from the Columbian's good worldwide reputation. The new striker will attract more fans, said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, especially in South America and China.
Rodriguez' was one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The move to Bayern has already generated enormous interest in the Bavarian club, which announced that social media and homepage hits have risen significantly as Bayern spoke about figures in the hundreds of thousands. Rummenigge said Rodriguez would have an outstanding effect on the club's international image. Rodriguez himself is said to have earned over 16 million euro on his social media platform as one of the most popular figures in international football.
Only superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi und Neymar (Barcelona) can beat Rodriguez when it comes to follower figures on social media channels. 32.1 million are said to follow him only on Instagram. In comparison, Bayern Munich spearhead Robert Lewandowski has only 9.9 million followers. In Madrid, Rodriguez'shirt was the top seller.
But the 26-yea-old Rodriguez is not only a blessing for Bayern's marketing managers but for Bayern coach Ancelotti as well. The Italian star coach has long expressed his wishes of signing Rodriguez. Now, Rummenigge has called the deal a bargain as international transfer fees have exploded. For the two-year loan period, Bayern will pay 10 million euros. The additional three years (should the German club decide to keep Rodriguez) will cost an additional 38 million. Real Madrid paid 80 million euro when signing Rodriguez in 2014. Only 23 at the time, he had already won the trophy for the top scorer at the World Cup (with six goals). After the World Cup, Rodriguez had turned into an international superstar.
Despite the high price tag of Bayern's recent investments (including Corentin Tolisso for 41.5 million from Olympique Lyon), Rummenigge said Rodriguez might not be the last new signing this summer.
Joerg Wacker, Bayern's director of international strategy, called Rodriguez a dream from a merchandising point of view. The new striker is another cornerstone in Bayern Munich's attempt to gain lost ground in the global race contested by the top international clubs. Wacker said internationalization was a must for football clubs if they wanted to remain a part of the world's elite for the long term.
After his arrival in Munich, Rodriguez will be a part of the squad that will travel to China and Singapore this Sunday evening. The 2013 Champions League winner will face Premier League side Arsenal in Shanghai on July 19, the top Italian club AC Milan in Shenzhen on July 22 and then Chelsea and Inter Milan in Singapore on July 25 and 27.
Fans and club officials in Munich are pleased with Bayern's latest addition, as is Ancelotti. Both coach and striker have best memories when working together at Real Madrid in the 2014/2015 season. Ancelotti was impressed by Rodriguez'skills, so much so that he picked the Columbian 46 times. The coach has kept an eye on him ever since.
Rodriguez will likely increase competition among the midfielders and strikers in Munich, and the deal puts Ancelotti under additional pressure. More than ever, the Italian will have to deliver titles and keep his squad of stars happy. Reports say not all in Munich's squad are pleased about Ancelotti's excitement regarding the Rodriguez deal.
Stars like Thiago, Arturo Vidal, Tolisso, Franck Ribery, Robben, Thomas Mueller, Renato Sanches, Kingsley Coman and Sebastian Rudy will battle for a place in the starting eleven. As Rodriguez is not a man for the flanks, the Colombian will almost certainly play in central midfield, most likely behind Lewandowski in a 4-2-3-1 system. For Thiago, that means he will have to move further back and for Mueller, he could well have to content himself with a place on the bench.
Rodriguez told German media that a new chapter and a new life is about to begin for him and that he is happy with his move to Munich. Joining Bayern is in no way a step backwards for him, he stressed.
