After making (if I remember correctly) 7 appearances for Rayo
Vallecano, he's now moving to Leon or someone in Mexico. What's gone
wrong for him?

He had a very good World Cup in 2014, and a good Copa America in 2024.
Apart from that, his career hasn't been overly impressive. Is he just
one of these players that never fulfilled his potential?

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On 2025-01-16 06:17, Mark wrote:

After making (if I remember correctly) 7 appearances for Rayo
Vallecano, he's now moving to Leon or someone in Mexico. What's gone
wrong for him?

He had a very good World Cup in 2014, and a good Copa America in 2024.
Apart from that, his career hasn't been overly impressive. Is he just
one of these players that never fulfilled his potential?

Well he is 33 and has won league titles in all of Argentina, Portugal,
Spain and Germany. Also a Champions' league winner. He has over 100 caps
for his country (112 I think) with lots of goals, and was still a key
player at Copa America this past summer (Setting an assist record for
that tournament).

He has perhaps wandered around too much in his career, and played for a
lot of teams, and has had injury problems at times. The list of
individual awards on his wikipedia page is impressive, so I am not sure
one can really say he never lived up to potential - he certainly did at
least at some times and at some clubs.

Individual

FIFA U-20 World Cup top assist provider: 2011[234]
Toulon Tournament Best Player: 2011[235]
LPFP Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2011–12[236]
SJPF Player of the Month: August 2012, September 2012[237]
Record Team of the Year: 2012[238]
O Jogo Team of the Year: 2012, 2013[239][240]
Portuguese Golden Ball: 2012
Ligue 1 top assist provider: 2013–14[241]
UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2013–14[69]
AS Monaco Player of the Year: 2013–14[242]
Globe Revelation Player: 2014[243]
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 2014[244]
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2014[9]
FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014[245]
FIFA World Cup Goal of the Tournament: 2014[165]
FIFA Puskás Award: 2014[246]
La Liga Team of the Season: 2014–15[247]
La Liga Best Midfielder: 2014–15[248]
UEFA Team of the Year: 2015
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2017–18[249]
Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18[250]
Facebook FA La Liga Best Goal: 2016[251]
Copa del Rey top assist provider: 2016–17[252]
New species of coral named after him, Paragorgia jamesi[253]
Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2019,[254] 2024[255]
Copa América Golden Ball: 2024[256]

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On 16/01/2025 20.05, MH wrote:

He has perhaps wandered around too much in his career, and played for a
lot of teams, and has had injury problems at times.

The moving around is linked to disappointing performances post 2014. To
go, within a year, from Real to Al-Rayyan via Everton is not great.

UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2017–18[249]
Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18[250]

Huh?

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On 2025-01-16 16:01, Jesper Lauridsen wrote:

On 16/01/2025 20.05, MH wrote:

He has perhaps wandered around too much in his career, and played for
a lot of teams, and has had injury problems at times.

The moving around is linked to disappointing performances post 2014. To
go, within a year, from Real to Al-Rayyan via Everton is not great.

2014-2015 with Real seems to have been a good year. Lots of
appearances, lots of goals.

But Real does tend to tire of imported stars very quickly, and then let
them moulder on the bench before loaning them out or moving them on -
witness everyone from Cunningham to Michael Owen, to Özil and Khedira,
to Bale, Kaka, Robinho, and so on.

There are of course exceptions like Modric and Kroos and Benzema and C. Ronaldo.

UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2017–18[249]
Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18[250]

Huh?

Is that not true ? I checked the former, and he was indeed listed
there. Could not check the Bundesliga one.

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