After struggling for game time at the Santiago Bernabeu, James Rodriguez departed to Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal in July and has impressed so far in the Bundesliga, scoring four times and providing six assists in 16 games.
His father, Wilson Rodriguez, told 'Marca Claro' that the 26-year-old's decision to leave Madrid was the best he could make.
"My son did well leaving Real Madrid for Bayern Munich, he is very happy in Germany. I see him living a calm and cheerful life and it's incredibly important for him to perform on the pitch".
"He loves Real Madrid a lot, I don't think anybody can ever doubt that, however, the best thing he could do was leave the team. He had lost the sporting joy on the pitch that he had when [Carlo] Ancelotti was coach."
After making 29 league starts for Madrid in 2014-15, James made fewer than 18 in the two seasons that followed, although, despite the disappointment, the forward still looked up to head coach Zinedine Zidane, who took over in January 2016.
"Zidane was one of James' footballing idols, but that doesn't mean that the coach won't decide that my son can't fit into his team," he revealed. "However, you will never hear my son talk badly about the French coach or criticise him for something related to football."
James also spoke about his new found spark with 'UEFA.com', detailing what it takes to be successful at the top of football.