Champions League: Rodrygo, Real Madrid's luxury joker
Rodrygo, the Brazilian winger, made a decisive comeback for his Real Madrid team, which eliminated Manchester City on May 4, 2022, after extra time in the Champions League semi-final second leg played at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.
© AP - Bernat Armangue
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
3 mins
Saturday May 28 at the Stade de France against Liverpool in the Champions League final, Rodrygo will want to end his season in style.
The Brazilian was one of Real Madrid's key men during this 2021-2022 exercise in C1.
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“The hero of the Bernabéu”, headlined the Spanish sports daily
AS
.
In Madrid, Rodrygo Silva de Goes, says Rodrygo, 21, had clearly played the role of the X factor in the semi-final second leg against Manchester City.
Entering the game in the 67th minute, the Brazilian had quickly been imperial with a double, thanks to Benzema and Carvajal, which had allowed his people to snatch the extension (90th and 90th + 1).
AS spoke of him as the "
great architect of the historic comeback against Manchester City
".
Karim Benzema then provoked a penalty, which he himself transformed to snatch the last ticket for the final.
“
The Champions League is a very special competition
”
“
The Champions League is a very special competition and any player would love to play it.
I have something with this competition, I almost always score or deliver an assist.
I hope it will continue
, ”commented Rodrygo before the semi-finals.
And to add: “
By playing at Real Madrid, I learned, from the players but also from the fans, that you have to fight constantly until the end.
There are games that we lose, where we lower our arms a little... but we look at the jersey, we get up and we fight.
That's how we come back in a lot of matches.
» Author of precious goals (11 goals in 26 C1 career matches), Rodrygo had already scored one in the return match against Chelsea (2-3 defeat in the quarter-finals) after a great service from Modric.
Today, Rodrygo, born in Osasco in the State of Sao Paulo, is impatient at the idea of meeting on Saturday May 28 at the Sade de France for the final against Liverpool with the tunic of the “White House”.
“
For the Decima
(the 10th Champions League won by Real Madrid in 2014, editor's note),
I was in Santos (Brazil), with my mother, with the Real jersey on my back.
I had followed the final on TV, I remember that I also had a ball next to it, and that my mother got angry when I kicked it.
I have always been a Real Madrid supporter,
” Rodrygo said on Tuesday May 24 during a press day at Real Madrid's training center.
“
Of course I want to start, like everyone else.
I prefer to start, like all players.
But I'm here to help the team, it's the coach who decides.
I don't know anything yet, to be honest
,” Rodrygo also said.
Anyone who listens with "interest" to Karim Benzema's advice should extend to Real Madrid and sign a new contract until 2027. At the age of 18, Rodrygo had made a good start in La Liga.
On September 25, 2019, he scored a goal in his first meeting with Real against Osasuna.
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