James Rodriguez: Qatari footballers don’t shower naked

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Colombian international footballer, James Rodriguez, disclosed two things about working in Qatar that made him uncomfortable there. One of them was that footballers were not allowed to shower without clothes.

The attacking midfielder formerly worked at Everton, Real Madrid, and Olympiakos before moving to Qatar on a £6m deal. He was able to stay there for only one year.

Rodriguez who now plays for Brazilian club Sao Paulo said the following to Globo:

‘Life and culture in Qatar are very difficult, it was a country where it was difficult to adapt.

‘You know that in football everyone is naked when they shower, but my teammates told me: “You can’t do it like that”. I was afraid.

‘Everyone there eats with their hands, which was difficult for me.

‘They shared it with me and I said, “No thanks”.

‘I asked for cutlery and they told me: “No, with your hand” and I replied: “You guys are crazy, I won’t eat with my hand.”’

Apart from these rules, there are other things either foreigners or footballers were not permitted to do in Qatar. It must have been a trying time for Rodriguez who grew up likely viewing the Western culture as the main way of life.

Furthermore, Rodriguez had an accusation for Germans following his days at Bayern Munich.

Apart from being discomforted by the weather at Munich, he was also not pleased by a certain attribute he decided was present in every German.

‘It’s cold there,’ Rodriguez said of Munich. ‘The Germans are also cold people, even if I was treated fantastically at FC Bayern.

‘There were days when I went to work at 9am, I turned on the car and the temperature was -28.

‘I say: “What am I doing here? Munich is a city that has a lot of quality of life, but I couldn’t be comfortable.’

It is possible that Rodriguez thought that by exempting the club from the cold Germans, he had pleased the very German club. But one can safely bet that most Germans who work at the club would not be pleased with the image Rodriguez painted for outsiders.

Rodriguez’ worrisome reviews could determine who hires his services next and who is scared to do so. He might also be the only one to have publicly criticized countries he worked in at that level.