James Rodriguez will wear the number 11 shirt at Bayern following his arrival from Real Madrid. - © © gettyimages / Sebastian Widmann
James Rodriguez will wear the number 11 shirt at Bayern following his arrival from Real Madrid. - © © gettyimages / Sebastian Widmann

James Rodriguez: Colombia captain is another lethal prong to Bayern Munich's terrifying attack

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Just when you thought Bayern Munich couldn't get any better, the defending Bundesliga champions go and sign one of the most sought-after attackers in world football.

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So where will James Rodriguez fit in among Carlo Ancelotti's enviable assortment of talent? And what does the 26-year-old offer that they don't already have? bundesliga.com takes a closer look.

Watch: Welcome to the Bundesliga, James Rodriguez!

Read: The reaction to James' transfer to Bayern

Even to have a chance of getting on the pitch alongside a fear-inducing contingent including Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Kingsley Coman, among notable others, some form of game-changing quality is a basic requirement. James certainly has that.

He arrives not as a prospective player for the future but as the finished article. The Colombia international captain has a fierce left foot, blistering pace as well as excellent control, vision and shooting technique. Look no further than his breathtaking strike against Uruguay in the 2014 FIFA World Cup as evidence of what he can do.

Read: 10 things on James Rodriguez

No wonder Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "There’s no question that this transfer further increases the quality in our team." Indeed, at that tournament three years ago James won the Golden Boot award for finishing as the top scorer with six goals – narrowly beating future Bayern team-mate Müller by one. His consistency in performing at the highest level in Brazil convinced Real Madrid of his qualities, and he enjoyed a fruitful first season in Spain under the guidance of none other than Ancelotti.

In terms of pure statistics, that season was the most successful of James' three years in Madrid. He made 29 La Liga appearances, scoring 13 and setting up as many again, while he featured nine times in the UEFA Champions League.

The prospect of working with Ancelotti once again was no doubt appealing James, eager to play again regularly after two seasons in which his game time became limited under Zinedine Zidane. For Ancelotti too, the move is a welcome one. "It's a very special moment for me to have a fantastic player like James after a good experience together in Madrid," said the Italian strategist at the player's official unveiling. "He'll help the team [...] He's a down-to-earth guy and he'll find the best position to play in our side."

As to where that position might be, James himself left his options open: "I can play on the left, on the right or as a No.10. But I'll need to fight for my place in the team. I'm very happy to be here. I'm very eager and I'm looking forward to achieving things here." Rummenigge echoed those sentiments: "He's a very versatile player. He's a goalscorer himself, he sets up a lot of goals and on top of that he's great from set-pieces."

That ability to create is particularly valuable. Given that the club's main assist-givers Robben (33) and Ribery (34) are in the autumn of their careers and will be given regular breaks throughout the season, the Colombian ought to be able to ease the burden on Müller and Thiago in providing service for Lewandowski.

Quiz: How well do you know new Bayern signing James Rodriguez?

Furthermore, James possesses the experience and the right mentality to succeed in Munich, as he is no stranger to the pressure that comes with big games, or the expectation to lift titles. His trophy cabinet includes medals for winning La Liga, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Supercup, the Portuguese league and the UEFA Europa League, among an array of individual awards.

Talented, skillful, experienced and successful – perhaps the question should be not how will James fit in at Bayern, but how could he not?

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