Néstor Lorenzo faces controversy over calling up James Rodríguez to Colombia's national team. The upcoming FIFA date marks the beginning of a new era for Néstor Lorenzo as the head of Colombia's national team. Lorenzo's first challenges will be the friendly matches against Mexico and Peru, but before releasing the list of call-ups, a controversy has emerged centered around James Rodríguez. After Colombia's participation in the World Cup, one of the main criticisms towards Lorenzo was his insistence on keeping Rodríguez as one of the team's key players, despite the midfielder not being in his best form and struggling with consistency. As a result, many expected that after the international tournament, Rodríguez would no longer be a priority in the call-ups and that Lorenzo would start a new era with new references. However, in recent days, versions have emerged that suggest one of the conditions for the upcoming international matches would be Rodríguez's presence. This situation has opened up a strong debate on how to handle the call-ups to the Colombia national team. The question on everyone's mind is how Lorenzo can justify calling up the captain if Rodríguez is currently without a team and without official competition. For some sectors, the situation goes against the principle that the national team should only consist of players who are in their best form. Even it has been questioned whether these matches will serve as real football preparation or if they could have a more commercial component. ‘I think if it is presented and Lorenzo calls up James without him competing it would be a bad start to his second cycle, and also because now he won’t be forgiven for the mistakes he made before’, said Colombian legend Gildardo Gómez. Gómez emphasized that the sporting criterion should be above all else. ‘The best should always be in the team. Now it seems that entrepreneurs are defining the conditions and even the salary, that is not to be allowed’, he said. For Gómez, the situation would be different if Rodríguez were to return to competition, find a club and regain continuity, which would allow him to regain his place in the national team based on performance and not on his career trajectory. Ahead of the controversy generated by the versions about a supposed demand for Rodríguez's inclusion in the friendly matches, an anonymous businessman came forward to clarify the situation and denied that there were any agreements of that type with the Colombian Football Federation. ‘In no contract have we demanded that James be called up and nor have we ever demanded to the Federation that James be called up. I can show the contracts’, he assured. With this clarification, the decision remains in Néstor Lorenzo's hands. The call-up list for the matches against Mexico and Peru will be the first major message from the coach in his second cycle as head of Colombia. The list will allow us to know if the coach is betting on a renewal of the squad after the World Cup or if he is maintaining Rodríguez as part of his structure, even in a moment when the midfielder is still trying to define his future in football.