Colombian James in Olympus; the other guy in limbo

That’s the beauty of this sport. Each important tournament is like a new wave that washes in and erases all that was etched in sand previously. And when the tide recedes, there is a new reality after the World Cup.

The script is known. You present the player, in front of thousands of adoring fans. This time it’s James Rodriguez, the skillful Colombian midfielder and World Cup’s leading scorer, feted by Real Madrid’s adoring fans. Within an hour 900 Merengue shirts are sold; 345,000 in 48 hours, more than previous blockbuster signings Cristiano, Figo and Zidane.

Even if it’s still unclear how much the left-footer fits into the Madrid lineup, or how much he’ll play, fresh-faced James is a commodity. In 2013 he was bought by AS Monaco from Porto for 45 million Euros; next year and a World Cup later, he’s the Nouvelle Vague and he is sold for twice the price (80 million Euros). Let’s put this in perspective: in modern soccer part of the $100 million price tag is recovered via shirt sales.

SEE ALSO: How does James Rodriguez fit in Real Madrid’s puzzle?

Rodriguez’s shirt is the second-most popular in South America, after Lionel Messi. To me, James was the player of the tournament, and his six goals in five matches are a testament. In the quarterfinal against Brazil showed great poise, passion and grit, even in defeat. In an offhand conversation, with a Monaco press officer in Miami, the club employee said “Well, he didn’t really play against the big ones of the sport – the Germanys, Italys, Netherlands – nor prove himself yet in European semis and finals. On Monaco, the main player was Toulalan.”

OK, maybe the most forceful personality of the Monegasques was the French midfielder, or Joao Moutinho, but “What about Uruguay?” I asked. They’re certainly a tough team.

“They didn’t have Luis Suarez,” he countered. “And scoring against Greece and Japan is not the same.” Even if you consider Uruguay and Brazil arrived to their matches against Colombia diminished in 2014, players cannot control the World Cup matchups, much less the Uruguayan superstar’s antics.

The Colombian number 10′s goal against Uruguay was the “goal of the tournament” in Brazil 2014. “We’ve seen him do these things at La Turbie (Monaco’s training grounds) and knew he was capable of [goals like] this,” said Monaco midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia.

In 2013-14, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the best player of the Ligue 1, PSG’s Marco Verrati was chosen second best, and Rodriguez filled out the podium. But James was chosen the Prince of the Passes (best passer) in the championship. He had nine goals and 13 assists in 33 matches, and was not always a starter. In the ecosystem of a club, a 23-year-old cannot be expected to arrive, adapt and lead a troupe of mercenaries.

There are indicators that James is a mature young man, which will help handle the attention. He was a champion with Banfield in Argentina at age 18. He’s been married with Daniela Ospina (sister of the Colombia keeper) for four years and moved to Europe as a family unit, avoiding the temptations of being young, rich and single.

As Rihanna said on her Twitter account: “Rodriguez!!! He’s just a baby!”

SEE ALSO: James Rodriguez officially presented by Real Madrid

As the French teams decide whether to challenge or submit to Paris St. Germain’s attempt to dominate Ligue 1 and crack the club of the world’s top brands, the sale of their best players may be an economic imperative. Your recent purchase (James) just had the breakout performance of Brazil 2014, and you realistically can’t keep him.

Falcao on the way out as well?

Before an unfortunate injury (torn ACL in his left knee) and an incomplete recovery before Brazil 2014, this could have been the dream destiny of Radamel Falcao, the goleador who traveled with AS Monaco but did not play in its first two matches (a smart move if you want to sell him; less so if you want him ready for the season). Falcao was a luxury observer during a trip that seemed tailor-made for him: Barranquilla, near where his family hails from and where he learned baseball, and Miami, where he spends the offseason. He visited with El Pibe Valderrama in Colombia, and hit batting practice in the Marlins stadium. In buying Dimitar Berbatov, Monaco shows it may be already be thinking of getting another home run goalscorer. Colombia’s El Espectador reports that Madrid is taking an option to buy Falcao, the former Atletico Madrid goalscorer.

They would be a dream Colombian pairing that seems to have a short half life.

But now, the two Colombian’s destines have diverged. James is headed to the largest club stage in the sport with a six-year contract and Falcao’s future is still in limbo.