Rodrygo Goes, a star player from Brazil who currently plays for Real Madrid, the reigning La Liga, and UEFA Champions League champions, is quickly emerging as one of the brightest prospects from South America. The 22-year-old was signed by Los Blancos in 2019 for more than €40 million.
He has played for Real Madrid in 148 games since then, scoring 28 goals and assisting 29 times. In all competitions during the 2022-23 season, he has ten goals and eight assists. With four goals and six assists in 23 La Liga games for his team, Rodrygo is setting a career-high in goal contributions.
Under manager Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilian has also played more minutes, averaging 68 minutes per game, the most he has ever played in La Liga for Real Madrid.
Form before the season :
Prior to the FIFA World Cup, Rodrygo put together some of his best performances. This season, he has started 16 La Liga games, 10 of which came before the World Cup break. Seven of his 10 objectives in all contests came in his pre-World Cup exhibitions.
With predictable game time, the 22-year-old had the option to contribute at a decent rate for Los Blancos. The same can be said for his performance at the end of the 2021-22 season, when he scored seven goals and had three assists between April 9 against Getafe and May 28 against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final.
His two goals against Espanyol in La Liga and Manchester City in the Champions League, both in consecutive games, helped secure his team’s spot in the final. Since returning from the World Cup, his goals have significantly decreased.
In 2023, he scored all of his goals in cup competitions, including goals against Al Ahly at the FIFA Club World Cup and CP Cacarenco and Atletico Madrid at the Copa del Rey.
His shifting position on the team :
While his minutes have expanded, Rodrygo’s job has changed all through the season. This was evident in Madrid’s three matches against Elche, Osasuna, and Liverpool from February 15 to February 21. He started on the left wing in the match against Elche because star forward Vinicius Junior got too many yellow cards.
He started on the right wing against Liverpool and as a false nine against Osasuna. Ancelotti has chosen to start Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, and Federico Valverde in his first-choice starting XI with a healthy squad. Benzema’s injury and fitness concerns prevented him from playing in nine of Rodrygo’s 16 starts.
Since his last league goal came in October’s 3-1 victory over FC Barcelona, this has hurt his productivity. Recently, Rodrygo commented on his lack of playing time, saying:
“I always want to play, and I tell the coach that I must play, but he tells me to calm down…. Carlo has my respect because we have very good players, but I’m there and help my team when I’m on the field. I would like to start.”
The argument in favor of Rodrygo starting on a regular basis :
He is still one of Madrid’s best La Liga performers statistically. He is second on the team in the league behind Benzema with an xG of 8.9. He is also second on the team, behind Vinicius Junior, with 87 progressive carries. His stats also perform well when compared to those of his league counterparts.
He has the second most carries into the penalty area (48), the third most actions that result in goals (13), and the sixth most actions that result in shots in La Liga. His ability to dribble and score goals could save Madrid’s season,
which is in jeopardy because they are 12 points behind rival Barcelona in La Liga. Madrid’s chances of winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League may benefit greatly from his inclusion in the starting lineup.