By Oliver Trust
BERLIN May 18 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's national coach Jose Pekerman will be counting on the silky midfield skills of James Rodriguez at the upcoming World Cup.
However the World Cup won't be James' focus just yet. Bayern Munich's head coach Jupp Heynkes will also be relying on the Colombian in the German Cup final on Saturday. The league champions will be looking to finish the season on a high by wrapping up the double against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 25-year-old has been directing the Bavarians' game after arriving on loan from Real Madrid last summer. Bayern paid 13 million euros for two years and is said to have decided to buy James for another 42 million.
James' start was far from perfect but he has since been highly impressive, capturing the hearts of teammates and fans alike with his world-class performances. Having scored eight goals and provided 14 assists, James is one of this season's top Bundesliga performers.
Munich's Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez calls James a "world-class player" who has provided several brilliant displays, including one in the Champions League semifinal against his former club.
In his first ten months at Bayern, the young man has shown determination to adapt to a new club, a foreign language, a different way of life and a different position on the pitch. Reports say James often jumps on his bike and leaves the trendy Munich suburb of Bogenhausen to discover the city's sights, particularly in the 375-hectare "Englische Garten" park in the middle of the city.
"He wants to see the city and get to know the place where he lives. I'm impressed," Martinez commented, adding that he was surprised about his teammate's perpetual good mood. "He is extremely friendly and lives the team spirit and the club's motto: Mia san mia."
"Mia san mia" is said to stand for the unique local identity prevalent at Germany's foremost club. It expresses the club's ambitions and the unbreakable team-spirit of a determined side.
When James talks about the German Cup, he speaks of a farewell present for Jupp Heynckes. The 73-year-old will retire after the last game of the season. Heynckes was the key figure in James' progress in Munich. When succeeding the Italian star coach Carlo Ancelotti at the club, Heynckes found James in bad shape, mentally and physically.
"He wasn't part of the team and you could see he was ill at ease," Heynckes remembers. The coach developed a successful strategy to turn things around. "He needed to feel trust and confidence," the Bayern coach underlined.
Heynckes also moved James from the wing to central midfield. What followed is said to be an "explosion in performance". Heynckes has called James a "running machine". Others say he is the team's heartbeat. One thing is for certain, the 2014 World Cup's top scorer (six goals) seems to have found his place.
