James Rodriguez scores with stunning volley into the far corner

James Rodriguez is doing a quality job of proving that the €80 million Real Madrid spent to acquire him after his strong showing at the World Cup was money well spent and that his Ballon d'Or nomination was richly deserved. In the 31st minute of Real Madrid's match against Granada, Karim Benzema flicked the ball up to James at the edge of the box, setting him up for a gorgeous volley into the far corner of the net.

Naturally, Cristiano Ronaldo had already scored at this point, notching his 22nd goal of the season in just the second minute. He has now scored in 12 consecutive matches for the first time of his career.

Rodriguez went on to score a second goal late in the second half as Real Madrid won 4-0.

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Brooks Peck

is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter! Follow @BrooksDT