Former Palmeiras sports chief Juninho has spoken of rejecting the chance to sign James Rodriguez - because he was too fat!

James, now on-loan at Bayern Munich from Real Madrid, was playing for Banfield at the time when Palmeiras had the chance to sign him in 2009.

Juninho told ESPN Brasil: "I was watching a Banfield game. James played just 45 minutes and was substituted at halftime. He was 17 years old and I thought he was fat as a ball.

"At this time he was not cheap. The Argentines demanded five million dollars, and no one with a clear mind would have paid so much for such a young player.

"Today I'm sure that they want to kill me at Palmeiras for not being committed."