James Rodriguez scores best goal at the World Cup so far with stunning volley for Colombia against Uruguay

Rodriguez scores outrageous volley to put his side 1-0 up against Uruguay
Then adds a second from close range after half-time to double their lead
The goals are his fourth and fifth of the World Cup so far, taking him ahead of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Thomas Muller in race for Golden Boot

Published: 17:15 EST, 28 June 2014 | Updated: 06:50 EST, 29 June 2014

e-mail

Move over Lionel Messi and Tim Cahill. James Rodriguez scored the goal of the World Cup so far in the first half of Colombia’s last 16 clash with Uruguay at the Maracana.

Controlling a header on his chest 25 yards from goal, Colombia’s No 10 let the ball drop and then – with two Uruguay players closing in – unleashed an unstoppable left-foot volley that crashed against the crossbar before bouncing down and into the net.

The goal was Rodriguez’s fourth of the tournament and he scored another shortly after the break from yards out to double Colombia's lead and put him clear at the top of the goalscoring charts for the tournament.

'You always try to score goals like that in training, and I have to say it was nice to get one,' he told FIFA.com.

VIDEO scroll down to watch Hilarious Colombian commentator's reaction to Rodriguez goal

Contact: James Rodriguez connects with the ball brilliantly on the volley after letting it drop from his chest

Volley: Diego Godin tries in vain to stop Rodriguez's rocket as it flies towards goal

Helpless: Fernando Muslera can do nothing to stop Rodriguez's goal-bound strike

Ecstatic: Rodriguez peels away after seeing the ball bounce down and into the net after hitting the crossbar

Did you back Rodriguez at 100/1?

Before the tournament the odds on the Colombian star to be top goalscorer at the World Cup were 100/1 after he had an up-and-down season with Monaco.

Even before the match against Uruguay, Rodriguez had a decent claim to being the tournament’s best player so far.

His evasive runs and sharp shooting caused havoc against all of Colombia’s group stage opponents and he continued in a similar vein against Uruguay.

Rodriguez continued: 'It’s not easy to achieve what I’ve done, but my view is that when you have a dream and you really pursue it and picture things like this happening, then it can become a reality.

'If you want something and you work hard for it, then it can happen. The boss has helped me improve in everything. He talks to me a lot and it’s thanks to him that my tactical appreciation of the game has improved along with my mental strength.'

Praise: NBA superstar LeBron James was full of praise for Rodriguez

Celebrate: Colombia's No 10 runs to the crowd to celebrate his fantastic goal

Touch the sky: Rodriguez points to the sky after lighting up the Maracana with his volley

Colombia manager Jose Pekerman added: 'In my long experience in football, I've had in my teams extraordinary footballers, elite players of a very high technical level.

'I place everything in James because I saw the extraordinary conditions that he had. What is most surprising is that at his young age he does not have any objection, any problem in being responsible for doing things that football players take many years to understand.

'Football forces you to deal with a lot of situations, you have to handle these situations and we have a technical player who has every attribute of a top-notch player at a world level.

'I greatly praise what he has been doing and I never had any doubts that this was going to be his World Cup. James Rodriguez's World Cup.'