James Rodriguez has left Brazilian side Sao Paulo 11 months before the end of his contract and is hoping to return to Europe, according to reports. 

The Colombian legend was one of the surprise performers of the recent Copa America, guiding his side to the final only to lose to tournament winners Argentina in extra time. 

Rodriguez - known for his displays at international tournaments for Colombia - set a new Copa America record with six assists throughout the competition as he led his side to within touching distance of a first crown since 2001.

Much of the surprise, though, stemmed from the fact that he had struggled for regular game time and form at Sao Paulo since arriving in Brazil in July last year. 

In the 15 months since then, he would make only 22 appearances, but is now set for a new challenge, as per South American journalist German Garcia Grova. 

James Rodriguez has reportedly ended his time with Sao Paulo after only 12 months in Brazil

Rodriguez has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but struggled to nail down regular minutes and produce his form for Colombia in the club game. 

After his sensational 2014 World Cup - including one of the best goals in the tournament's history - he earned himself a big money move to Real from Monaco for £62million. 

He would make 125 appearances, though only 94 were starts across a six year stint on the books at Los Blancos, which featured a number of loan moves. 

However since a somewhat more consistent two years on loan at Bayern Munich between 2017-19 Rodriguez has moved around frequently, joining Everton, Qatari side Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos and latterly Sao Paulo in four years.   

It was at Al-Rayyan though that he admitted to feeling 'afraid' after struggling to adapt to the culture. 

'Life and culture in Qatar are very difficult, it was a country where it was difficult to adapt,' Rodriguez said on the Brazilian TV channel Globo.

'You know that in football everyone is naked when they shower, but my team-mates told me: "You can't do it like that". I was afraid.'

He added: 'Everyone there eats with their hands, which was difficult for me. They shared it with me and I said, "No thanks". I asked for cutlery and they told me: "No, with your hand" and I replied: "You guys are crazy, I won't eat with my hand".

The Colombian playmaker was also told that he should eat with his right hand rather than his left for personal hygiene reasons. Once again, this left him feeling uncomfortable and he asked for cutlery instead.

Having encountered these issues, Rodriguez decided to move on to Greek side Olympiacos in September 2022.

Yet, as is seemingly a recurring issue for the Colombian maestro, he appeared unable to truly settle in Greece, and went on to make 23 appearances for Olympiacos in all competitions in seven months. 

Rodriguez left Olympiacos in April 2023, after his contract was ripped up for the second time in as many moves.