Ex-Everton and Real Madrid star James Rodriguez hits new low after bizarre red card for Al-Rayyan

By the time James Rodriguez left Everton, there weren't too many fans who disagreed.

Following a protracted summer transfer saga and not being available for any of the Toffees' opening seven games of the season, swathes of supporters had simply had enough.

Offloaded

There had been some moments of magic in his sole season at Goodison Park, having been brought to the club by Carlo Ancelotti in September 2020.

A tally of six goals and nine assists in 26 outings was more than respectable. There were times when you could see why he won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid. His talent was mercurial and he was virtually unplayable on his day.

However, when offloaded a year later - having been told by new manager Rafa Benitez that he wasn't part of Everton's future plans - it seemed the correct decision.

High wages reported to be in the £200,000 region, a lack of availability and questions marks around whether he wanted to give his all in royal blue meant many were happy Evertonians were happy to see him depart.

The Colombian had been linked with AC Milan and Atletico Madrid, while he'd been offered to Porto as a makeweight in a deal for Luis Diaz.

That chance was rejected by Rodriguez, along with a switch to Istanbul Basaksehir after most transfer windows in Europe had shut.

Instead, he opted for the middle east and sealed a move to Qatari side Al-Rayyan.

What happened?

Things haven’t exactly gone to plan if the ex-Bayern Munich playmaker hoped to revive his career in the country that’ll host the 2022 World Cup, though.

In fact, it’s gone the opposite way so far.

Rodriguez’s Al-Rayyan debut, almost a month after arriving in the middle east, ended in a 3-0 loss to Al Duhail.

And after scoring in a 4-2 win over Sailiya SC, Rodriguez's short time in Qatar has now hit a new nadir.

The ex-Bayern Munich playmaker received his marching orders in a 2-1 loss to Al-Arabi on Saturday.

Having been booked in stoppage-time, Rodriguez protested his innocence - which is perfectly normal for any footballer who doesn't agree with a caution.

But it was when the 30-year-old charged towards the referee and had to be restrained by his team-mates that earned him a second caution. It was a truly bizarre moment.

Rodriguez sarcastically applauded the official before taking his shirt off and running down the tunnel towards the dressing room.

Evertonians have been reacting to the incident on social medial. Here's what they had to say.