James Rodríguez was 22 when he scored the goal that made his name. In the 28th minute of Colombia's Round of 16 match against Uruguay at the Maracanã, he took a headed clearance on his chest with his back to goal, turned and hit a left-foot volley from 25 yards. The ball dipped over Fernando Muslera, struck the underside of the crossbar and went in.
The stadium went wild.
Chest, turn, volley
The difficulty is in doing all three in one movement. James had to control the ball, spin and strike before a defender could close him down, and the shot still had to dip hard enough to beat the goalkeeper from distance. He made it look effortless.
It won the Puskás Award for the best goal of 2014, across every competition in the world. Colombia won the match 2-0 and reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
James kept scoring. He finished the tournament with 6 goals and took the Golden Boot, still only 22. Real Madrid had seen enough and signed him straight after the World Cup ended.
For many fans the volley against Uruguay was the defining moment of Brazil 2014, the point at which a young Colombian playmaker became a household name around the world.
Tomorrow: number 21.
