James Rodríguez Dons Green and White at Atanasio Girardot, Promises Titles for Atlético Nacional

The Atanasio Girardot was dressed for a party before the opening whistle. The match hadn't even kicked off and the stands already had a reason to chant a name: James Rodríguez. The midfielder from Cúcuta was officially presented to the Atlético Nacional faithful, and he did it flanked by his two children, wearing the green and white jersey with a smile that said more than any speech could.

The occasion came ahead of the club's matchday 10 clash against Águilas Doradas. Before the ball started rolling, James took a full lap around the stadium to greet the fans, the same fans who had spent weeks waiting to see him in the jersey after his arrival at the club was confirmed.

One detail didn't go unnoticed: James won't wear the classic number 10, which remains with Edwin Cardona. Instead, the midfielder will take the field wearing number 23 this season. And the man who handed him that jersey was, fittingly, another symbol of the institution.

Because the day carried a second storyline, nearly as emotional as the first. Nacional used the moment to bid farewell to David Ospina, the goalkeeper who owned the green and white net for months and became a historic figure at the club. It was Ospina himself who, standing on a small platform set up for the occasion, placed the number 23 jersey in James's hands. A symbolic handoff between two Colombian national team icons, one departing, one arriving, sharing the same stage.

James didn't let the moment pass and grabbed the microphone to address the crowd that had come out to welcome him. There, without hesitation, he made his intentions for what's ahead perfectly clear:

"I'm really happy to be here, honestly, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. We hope to share a lot of joy together and above all a lot of titles, because this is a winning club and I'm a winner too, so thank you very much."James Rodríguez

Few words, but direct ones. James didn't come to just fill out the roster: he came to compete for titles, which is exactly what the Nacional jersey demands and what has defined his career since his youth days. Now, with the presentation done and the number settled, the focus turns to how the Bogotá native fits into a team that needs his game to compete for the rest of the season.