Colombia star Rodriguez carried weight of his country, and a giant bug on his shoulder

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:44 p.m. ET

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It seemed like nothing could stop 22-year-old Colombian phenom James Rodriguez at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Not even a massive insect. And when we say massive, we mean MASSIVE.

Rodriguez breathed life into Colombia’s World Cup hopes on Friday by scoring a penalty kick goal in the 80th minute to narrow his team’s deficit to 2-1 against Brazil in the quarterfinals.

What cameras were able to catch, however, were much more shocking.

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. That’s actually a gigantic bug that landed on Rodriguez’s shoulder as he celebrated his crucial goal.

James’ friendly insect visitor could not spur his team on to victory, though, as Brazil hung on for a 2-1 win to advance to the semifinals.

Rodriguez — who led the tournament with a remarkable six goals in five games through Friday — broke down sobbing after his team’s exit. In a touching display of sportsmanship, Brazil’s David Luiz consoled Rodriguez and, as is soccer tradition, swapped jerseys with the promising young star.

Fortunately, the bug was gone by that point.

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