Colombia captain James Rodriguez has spent the past three days in hospital after suffering severe dehydration following last weekend’s friendly defeat to France.
Colombia were beaten 3-1 by France in Maryland on Sunday as part of preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Colombian Football Federation confirmed the former Real Madrid star had been hospitalised in Minnesota for 72 hours.
“The day after the match against France, the player presented symptoms of severe dehydration, which necessitated his hospitalisation over the past 72 hours for preventive clinical monitoring and recovery,” the statement reads.
Rodriguez, now with Minnesota United FC, played just over an hour of the match in Landover before being substituted.
The federation confirmed the midfielder “has been under professional observation due to a medical condition of non-sports-related origin”.
“It is important to clarify that this situation is unrelated to any musculoskeletal injuries, nor is it linked to the performance of his footballing activities,” the federation said.
Officials added that the latest medical update “indicates a favourable prognosis and steady improvement”.
Reports say the 34-year-old has now returned home to continue his recovery after the health scare. He also featured in Colombia’s previous friendly against Croatia earlier in the week.
Rodriguez has earned more than 100 caps and is expected to lead Colombia at the World Cup, where they will face Portugal, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan in Group K.
