James Rodriguez reveals the reason he joined Everton

Everton midfielder James Rodriguez has revealed the one major reason he chose to join the Toffees last summer.

James Rodriguez has revealed that he joined Everton simply because he wanted to be reunited with Carlo Ancelotti.

The pair are quite familiar with each other, having both worked together at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Rodriguez has started life to Everton on a good note so far. The midfielder has recorded five goals in 18 league matches but has been sidelined since February with a calf injury.

The Toffees sit in eighth place with 46 points, tied with city rivals Liverpool. They remain in the mix for a either Champions League or Europa League berth.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with ESPN Colombia, Rodriguez detailed the reasons he chose to join Everton from Real Madrid.

“I’ll say it with all sincerity that if Carlo weren’t here, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll say it with all my heart, he was one of the reasons for which I came,” he said.

“I started to get to know the club, how they work, how they want to work, win things, play in Europe”

“The fact that Carlo is here was fundamental to come, where I am learning every day.”

“In these remaining nine [league] matches, I want to perform well, I had some physical problems for a month, but I have overcome them and it’s my goal to get a European spot, hopefully in Champions League”.

Rodriguez famously ‘joined’ Atletico Madrid but Real blocked the move at the time. The midfielder also commented on that.

“It was nearly a done deal to got to Atletico, I spoke with [Diego] Simeone, he said I could be important, and [Real] didn’t let me go. [Real president] Florentino Perez knew that with [Zinedine] Zidane that I wouldn’t play much. It was a bad year, I wanted to come to Everton to play and show what I can do”