SOCCER
James reappears out of the blue for Al-Rayyan with new look
The Colombian came on as a sub in Al-Rayyan's meeting with Qatar SC. His last game was on 30 October when he was sent off for arguing with the referee.
James Rodríguez returned to action today with Al-Rayyan after almost two months on the sidelines. The Colombian left Everton, and the rigours of the Premier League, for the less strenuous pace of the Qatar Stars League but he has yet to get into gear at his new club. He came on as a sub on 12 minutes in the meeting with Qatar SC - Laurent Blanc brought him on after Hashim Ali quit the field injured just moments before their rivals took the lead through Sebastián Soria. James didn't have much contact with the ball during the first half but did get noticed for his striking, blue-rinsed hair - a look which drew many comments.
Out of the blue
The game was also a chance for him to catch up with one of the players on the opposite side - Javi Martínez, his old team mate at Bayern Munich, started for Qatar SC. James joined Al-Rayyan in October. Blues boss Rafa Benítez had no place for him since taking over at Goodison and James moved to the Middle East in September. He played three games for Al-Rayyan, contibuting a goal and an assist before it all went horribly wrong after he was sent off for arguing with the referee in the 2-1 defeat to Al-Arabi on 30 October.
After that, the league took a break as the focus turned to the Qatari Stars Cup - a competition he was illegible for as he wasn't registered. Following that he had to serve a ban when the league resumed until today's game against Qatar SC. Seeing as he had been out for a while and probably a little rusty, Blanc started his star player on the bench - complete with his electric blue hair.