James Rodriguez has faced many opponents throughout his professional career, but none like this one. Spain’s tax authorities sued the Colombian player while he played for Real Madrid for tax evasion in 2014, but the current Minnesota United FC star won the case.
According to El Mundo newspaper, the Administrative Tribunal of the National Court ruled in favor of the former player and ordered the tax authorities to repay more than 3 million euros.
Rodriguez makes a lot of money without playing
The incident dates back to his time at Real Madrid, where the player had an outstanding career between 2014 and 2020, scoring 37 goals and providing 42 assists in 125 games and winning a total of nine trophies, including two Champions League titles and two La Liga titles.
However, during that period, the former AS Monaco player was sanctioned for alleged tax fraud in the year he signed for Real Madrid, and the dispute centered on his tax residency for that financial year.
Although the IRS claimed that the footballer was a resident of Spain, the player claimed to have spent “more than 183 days” in the principality of Monaco and provided a certificate from Monaco authorities stating that he had resided in Monaco from July 1, 2013 to July 21, 2014. He further claimed that he had no financial or personal ties to Spain before signing with Real Madrid.
The tax agency rejected these claims, comparing the 2.2 million euros he received from Monaco up to July with the 4.3 million euros he received from Real Madrid, including 11 million in image rights fees, and determined that the center of his economic activity was in Spain.
However, as a result of legal proceedings, the national court concluded that the footballer had succeeded in proving his residence in Monaco and supported the defense’s claims, declared him innocent and ordered the government agency to pay the money back.
The ruling is a major setback for the IRS and represents an important legal victory for the 34-year-old, who is currently continuing his career with MLS side Minnesota United and the Colombian national team, aiming to be in top form for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Colombia is in Group K along with Portugal, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uzbekistan. The latter will be their opponent in the opening match on June 18th at Estadio Banorte in Monterrey, Mexico. They will play against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the 23rd and against Cristiano Ronaldo and others on the 28th.
