Scorer of the two goals that won the Copa del Rey to Real MadridRodrygo was again decisive and this Tuesday he will have a new chance in the semifinals of the Champions League of Europe against Manchester City.
The English team, however, know what the Brazilian striker is capable of, as last year he scored twice and paved the way to eliminate the “Citizens” from the continental tournament also in the semi-finals.
Although many believe that with the Norwegian Erling Haaland in the attack, City will take revenge on Real Madrid, one can never underestimate the ability of the Spanish team to grow when it comes to the Champions League.
growth margin
Alongside Vinícius Júnior and Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, 22, has already won every possible title with Real Madrid, after lifting the King’s Cup with a 2-1 victory over Osasuna in the final. The young Brazilian scored the two goals that gave the Whites their first Cup since 2014.
“Nobody knows where his ceiling is,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, adding that Rodrygo “is a very elegant player, he moves well, he’s precise in front of goal and he’s doing very well.”
Hired from Santos in 2019, he seems to grow with the pressure in the decisive moments. In the quarterfinals of the King’s Cup, against Atlético de Madrid, he scored the goal that took the duel to extra time and opened the way for the Meringue classification.
Scorer of five goals in the Champions League this season, Rodrygo helped the team reach the semifinals, scoring twice against Chelsea em Stamford Bridge.
“Special Competition”
“The Champions League is a very special competition for me. Every time I’ve played I’ve been able to do something to help my team”, said Rodrygo after the victory over the “Blues”.
His love affair with the continental tournament began with a hat-trick on his home European debut in a 6-0 thrashing of Galatasaray em 2019.
Then aged 18, he became the second-youngest player to achieve that feat in modern Champions League history since Raul González in 1995.
In 21 games in the Champions League over the last two seasons, Rodrygo has scored 10 goals, the same as in 63 games in the Spanish Championship in that same period.
In Real Madrid’s comeback over Manchester City last season, Rodrygo came off the bench, but his 2023 shining moment has made him a key asset for Ancelotti.
On the right end, the Brazilian has explosiveness and a nose for goals to finish the moves when necessary, marks of a quality that is sometimes overshadowed by the spectacular nature of his teammate Vinícius.
🤍 @ViniJr 🤍#ChampionsCup | #Madridistas pic.twitter.com/aDBA4cE5vx
— Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 8, 2023
Although Vini’s quality is admired, his behavior is more criticized, which is not the case with Rodrygo, judged more positively.
The Brazilian dedicated his second goal in the Cup final to a boy with cancer: “It was for Ignacio, a boy I visited the day before yesterday in Juegaterapia, where there are children with cancer. He asked me to make the ‘I’ stand out and it was for him “.
Although Ancelotti has resorted on many occasions to Rodrygo coming off the bench, it seems unlikely that this Tuesday he will not have a place in the starting line-up with his current form, chanced on Saturday with the two goals scored.
“It’s the title I was missing and we’re very happy to win it. I’m at my best moment because I’m playing all the time,” said Rodrygo after the Copa del Rey final, warning that he wants to keep winning. A warning to Manchester City.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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