“We know that he will get his fitness back, because this national team makes him feel a special kind of way,” said Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo, over two years ago.Though a lot has changed for James Rodriguez in the time since, that assessment from his manager is just as fitting now as it was back then.Approaching his 35th birthday, Rodriguez arrived into this World Cup with just 275 minutes of domestic football in his legs this calendar year.Following a brief but brilliant spell in the Premier League at Everton, he has played a scattering of games in Qatar, Greece, Brazil, Spain and Mexico, before crossing the border to join Minnesota in February. He has not truly made his mark at any of those clubs on his twilight tour.But just as he has throughout his enigmatic career, Rodriguez still, improbably, shines bright for his country. Across three group-stage wins, he has been instrumental to Colombia’s sweeping attacking play, demanding the ball and swinging crossfield passes left and right as if he had never been away. If he starts Colombia’s knockout tie with Ghana this evening, he could surpass the game time he has managed across the last eight months of his club career at this summer’s tournament alone.“Now he runs a little less, but he thinks a little more,” said Lorenzo in 2024 in another prophetic observation. “He is well-surrounded, and that is what’s making him play well.”The names and the faces are different but the process is the same under Lorenzo’s watch; pass, move and run to give Rodriguez options on the ball.Rodriguez is one of several veteran players shining at the 2026 World Cup (Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP via Getty Images)On paper, Rodriguez starts as the right-sided winger at the top of a 4-3-3, but that doesn’t do justice to the fluidity of his role. He will frequently drift into central areas, often aiming to drop outside of the opposition shape, away from pressure, before searching for floated passes over the top.Here against DR Congo, for example, we see a typical build-up structure from Colombia — anchoring midfielder Jefferson Lerma tucks between the centre-backs, allowing full-backs Daniel Munoz and Johan Mojica to push on. Midfielders Gustavo Puerta and Jhon Arias are busy looking for space in midfield, while the right-winger Rodriguez… has wandered halfway across the pitch to pick up the ball.He receives the pass in plenty of space, while immediate runs from forward players Luis Diaz and Luis Suarez give him an option to lift the ball over the defence and in behind.Width from the full-backs is a crucial part of Colombia’s approach. They have strength in depth on both sides, with Santiago Arias and Deiver Machado coming into the starting XI against Portugal, offering similar intensity with their forward runs.Below we can see a similar setup; as Portugal press man-for-man, Puerta and Arias are once again on the move in midfield, while Rodriguez is now in a more conventional starting position with the full-backs hugging the touchline.Rodriguez drops into midfield, while Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes is visibly confused, gesturing towards the bench to see whether he should follow.