It was a signing met with much fanfare.
On the bright billboards of New York's Times Square the arrival of James Rodriguez was heralded, while in his home country of Colombia the iconic Colpatria Tower turned blue and was adorned with the number 19. In Liverpool, his arrival was marked on the Albert Dock.
The marketing figures were off the scale for Everton, their capture of a player who had established himself among the world's elite captured the imagination of fans at home and abroad, the Toffees claiming that over 400 million people were reached with the news within 48 hours of it breaking.
They had signed a player with not only a global footballing profile that they felt could help them crack new markets in North and South America, but one who was a genuine global superstar with a social media following of 95 million that was only eclipsed at the time by Neymar Jnr, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His Instagram following of more than 40 million was higher than the followership of any Premier League club at the time he signed.
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Speaking in September 2020, Everton's commercial director Richard Kenyon said: "The announcement of James Rodriguez as an Everton player is, of course, a huge moment for us in terms of growing our international profile particularly, in the US and South America.
"James’ popularity in these territories represents a brilliant opportunity for us – and fits perfectly with our international strategy and the associated marketing and engagement activity which had already begun in these areas.
"To mark James’ arrival – and to build a strong platform for future activity – we needed to ensure we created a big impact globally and we’ve used a range of tactics to do this – including extensive social media and digital marketing activity and targeted outdoor advertising.
"We have been really pleased by the reaction we have seen already and excited by the prospect of what’s ahead, including establishing our first international office in the USA.
"Everton is a big club with big ambitions globally – having James’ on board will undoubtedly help us achieve them more quickly."
It was a statement of intent from Everton and owner Farhad Moshiri, who had drafted in one of European football's most decorated and respected coaches in Carlo Ancelotti in a bid to close the gap on the 'big six' that the heavy spend of the early years of Moshiri's rein had been unable to do.
It was a bold plan, one that saw them push the boat out in terms of wages to secure a high profile talent. It was also one that came with risk given that Rodriguez had struggled to rekindle the kind of form that had seen him so lauded at FC Porto and Monaco and that prompted Real Madrid to spend £63m to make him a 'Galactico' in 2014.
Two years on and Rodriguez is playing his football in Qatar for Al-Rayyan, with Ancelotti having been enticed to rejoin his former employers at Real Madrid in what was a hammer blow to Everton's plans in the summer of 2021.
Everton saw glimpses of Rodriguez's magic, but the pandemic and the constraints that it put on normal life meant that the club weren't able to truly leverage the power of his superstardom to their advantage. When the time came for him to depart the club after a spell that was dogged by injury his star power had waned on Merseyside, with the need for his significant wages to be removed from the Everton payroll the most pressing matter as the Toffees began to encounter financial headaches.
Rafa Benitez's ill-fated rein, Rodriguez being a consistent absentee and a summer spend of £1.5m as a result of the club skating too close to the Premier League's profit and sustainability regulations made for a rather grim tone around Goodison. Frank Lampard was tasked with saving the club from relegation and managed to forge a new-found spirit out of the adversity that brought fans along for the ride and that has continued into this season.
So was the Rodriguez move worth it in the end?
Competing in a sport where there is constant competition for eyeballs and attention, Everton's move for the Colombian was understandable. He was someone who they felt could help them reach new markets, open up new revenue streams and aid existing ones - such as merchandise. But while his impact initially seemed promising there were factors at play that would derail it; his injuries, lack of form and the inability to truly market his arrival due to the pandemic's continued impact.
The Everton Rodriguez arrived at and the one that exists now are in different places, on and off the field. The problems over finance were bubbling away for some time, the hiring of Ancelotti and signing of players like Rodriguez the final Hail Mary from Moshiri to try and close the European gap to deliver the revenues that would have solved some of their problems. The mood among many fans was also one of there being a genuine chance of achieving something, especially given the phenomenal track record of success the Italian head coach had enjoyed across European football since the 1990s.
Everton have had to do much leg work to get themselves back on an even keel. Their austere approach to last summer had risk attached, and that flirted with relegation to such an extent was the gamble. But this summer they have been able to spend and strengthen again, albeit taking a more pragmatic approach to the kind of player they have signed and the money that they have paid.
The exits of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Cenk Tosun and Fabian Delph saved millions each year on the wage bill, while Rodriguez's exit to Al-Rayyan last year was key in helping the club shave considerable sums off their payroll to allow the club the room to manoeuvre in the market this summer, the club now operating in the 2022/23 financial year after the financial year for 2021/22 closed at the end of June.
Rodriguez, it was hoped, would be the catalyst, the lighting bolt that would help lift a new Everton. What transpired was that his exit would be among those key to Everton rebuilding themselves in a new mould.
The opportunities that were presented when Rodriguez was signed make it an understandable deal. For a club that needed leverage he gave them that. It didn't work out, that's football, but the intentions were right to try and grow the business.
But two years on there is a new Everton, a different one. A siege mentality was forged through the relegation battle, one that managed to unify supporters. And while the season has yet to deliver a first win for Lampard and Everton, the nature of the performances has continued and new heroes have started to emerge, such as Amadou Onana, a player whose £33m price tag could end up being a snip.
Everton still have plans to grow their brand in America, their pre-season tour to the US a success. Their new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock is something that will be a 'game changer' for the club, Kenyon told the ECHO, the development to aid Everton's position on the global stage.
Building a brand through the playing side of things along can be flawed. Football is peaks and troughs. What Everton needed was stability and a vision to grow accretively. They have a team people can get behind right now, and if that works and they can grow steadily on the pitch it will put them in the great position to maximise their opportunities from a commercial point of view when they move into Bramley Moore Dock.
The Rodriguez plan was bold but it never came off. This is an altogether different plan, one where the chances of success appear more greatly weighted in their favour.
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