James Rodríguez is officially an Atlético Nacional player

The news had been building all day that Thursday, with rumors flying in every direction, until it was finally confirmed: James Rodríguez is officially a new Atlético Nacional player. The announcement came on September 10, right as the transfer window was about to close, and it instantly became the biggest bombshell of the entire semester in Colombian soccer.

Announcing a signing is one thing, but seeing him take the field in the jersey is another matter entirely. Nacional has already set the date for his official presentation: this Friday, September 11 at 12:00 p.m. (Colombia time), broadcast on the club's YouTube channel. James won't be alone at that press conference either. He'll be joined by Lucas González, Sebastián Arango and Víctor Marulanda, who will also take questions from reporters.

What nobody can say with certainty just yet is when he'll actually make his debut. That's the real question on the minds of Nacional fans right now. James hasn't played an official match since the World Cup, when Colombia was eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland. Since then, he's trained on his own, but without real competitive rhythm, something every player needs to perform at the level expected of him.

Here's one detail working in Nacional's favor: since the club isn't competing in any international tournaments this semester, its only commitments are in the league and the Copa, so there's no urgent need to rush him into the lineup. The first match where fans might get a look at him up close, though not necessarily playing, will be Sunday, September 13 against Águilas Doradas at the Atanasio Girardot, the day he's expected to be introduced to the crowd.

From there, two dates are emerging as the likeliest candidates for his debut. One is September 30 against Junior, if the coaching staff decides not to wait too long. The other, which perhaps makes more sense given he needs to build up minutes gradually, would be October 7 against Tolima. It will all depend, too, on whether James remains on the national team roster around those dates.

A signing that slipped through other clubs' fingers

Nacional landing this deal was no accident or stroke of luck. Junior had tried to sign him back in 2025, but James ended up signing with León in Mexico instead. Then Millonarios got in the mix, only to come away empty handed as well when the midfielder from Cúcuta chose to join Minnesota United in MLS. This time, at the last minute, Nacional closed what many consider the most important signing in the history of Colombian soccer.

That's not an exaggeration. We're talking about the captain of the Colombia national team, a player with stints at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Sao Paulo, with more than enough technical quality to make a difference even in a league with less physical intensity than the ones he's used to. His last major test at the highest level came at that very World Cup: he started all five matches until Colombia's elimination, and his best performance came in the 0-0 draw against Portugal, where he drifted between the right flank and the center, created five scoring chances and won three of five individual duels.

That leadership, combined with the respect he's earned among the younger generation wearing the national team jersey, is exactly what Nacional hopes to tap into inside the locker room. Now all that's left is for his body to catch up to the competitive rhythm that Colombian soccer demands.