Who is James Rodríguez?

Colombia forward James Rodríguez has been one of the undoubted stars of the FIFA World Cup so far. Among a band of glamour No10s – see Lionel Messi, Neymar, Bryan Ruiz et al – to have made their mark on the tournament in Brazil, he is leading scorer with five goals from four games.

AS Monaco FC may have parted with €45m to sign the 22-year-old from FC Porto last summer, but Rodríguez was until recently a new name and a new face for many. With the attacker also set to feature in next season's UEFA Champions League, we ask ... who exactly is James Rodríguez?

Clubs: Envigado FC, CA Banfield, FC Porto, AS Monaco FC

• A prolific marksman in his homeland of Colombia for Envigado, he was signed by top Argentinian club Banfield in 2008.

• Made his debut for Banfield in February 2009 aged 17 and enjoyed a fabulous first year, becoming a title winner in the Apertura championship.

• Even more prominent in the 2010 Clausura championship and especially in Banfield's Copa Libertadores campaign, during which he scored five goals before ending it with a red card against Brazilian side SC Internacional.

• Left Banfield for Porto in July 2010 and, though he only really broke into the team in December, finished up playing 32 matches in all competitions as the Dragons landed the treble.

James Rodríguez with the Europa League©Getty Images

• Came on as a substitute in the 2011 UEFA Europa League final against SC Braga and four days later hit a hat-trick in the Portuguese Cup decider versus Vitória SC. Duly rewarded for his progress with a contract extension to 2016.

• Starred in Porto's championship-winning seasons of 2011/12 and 2012/13 before moving to promoted Ligue 1 outfit Monaco along with team-mate João Moutinho for a combined €70m.

• Notched nine goals in 34 league appearances, helping Monaco come second on their return to the French top flight.

UEFA honours
UEFA Europa League: winner 2011