What will become of the Bogota Blues?
So thrilled were a group of Colombian football fans that their icon James Rodriguez had signed for Everton last year they established the Toffees' first supporters' club in the South American country.
They organised a Spanish language watch-along on social media when Everton beat Liverpool at Anfield in February's Merseyside derby, had Colombia-based virtual mascots for the Man City game and even lit up the 50-storey Colpatria Tower in Bogota blue when he signed.
But their interest in Everton's fortunes may fade a little when, as looks increasingly likely, James leaves Goodison Park in the next few weeks.
James Rodriguez looks likely to depart Everton after just one season after new manager Rafa Benitez told him he didn't feature in his plans for the upcoming campaign
It was the chance to once again play under Carlo Ancelotti that tempted James to Merseyside
The Colombian star arrived at Goodison Park amid much fanfare in September last year
The 30-year-old winger has been informed by new manager Rafa Benitez that he doesn't feature in plans for the season ahead and is free to leave should the right offer come in.
There is interest from AC Milan and Porto but his new club would need to cover wages of £220,000-a-week or persuade James to take a pay cut.
The Colombian, for his part, went on record to say he just wants to play where he feels 'wanted'.
So his time at Everton will likely amount to less than a year, a most fleeting of football infatuations for the Goodison faithful, most of whom didn't even get to see him in the flesh.
It's what tends to happen when a player joins a club purely on the strength of their relationship with a manager. When that manager departs, the appeal quickly diminishes.
James did feature in Everton's Florida Cup game against Millonarios but is set to leave
Benitez is keen to make his mark on Everton but isn't helped by financial fair play restrictions
'I have enjoyed some great times with him previously at two different clubs. That was a massive reason to come here,' James said of Ancelotti when he signed last September.
'I'm convinced, with Carlo and his technical staff, we can achieve big things.'
And, for a short time, it appeared they just might. Everton actually topped the Premier League table seven matches into the season before relinquishing their grip as many unexpected early season bolters do.
Nonetheless, they floated within touching distance of Europa League or Conference League qualification before finishing 10th, which felt rather underwhelming given how they started.
When he was fit - and this became a salient point as he was sidelined with two separate calf injuries before missing much of the run-in through fatigue -
