At the final whistle, Rodrygo was far away.

While Real Madrid players and substitutes tumbled in joy in front of the bench after beating Manchester City in the semi-finals and the almost 20-strong coaching staff danced in circles, Rodrygo turned to the now-empty goal, which he had struck twice a few minutes earlier .

He spread his arms and looked at the sky.

Then he fell to his knees, laying his face in the grass.

After long seconds, his fellow striker Vinicius ran up to him with a big smile and hugged his compatriot.

After coming on as a substitute, almost 20 minutes before the end of regular time, Rodrygo made it possible to catch up against Manchester City with his two goals in the 89th and 91st minutes of the game, before Benzema in extra time from the penalty spot Real Madrid made it into the final this Saturday ( 9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League, on ZDF and on DAZN).

The burden will become heavier

The 21-year-old Rodrygo, who seems so carefree, has so far been seen more as a promise for the future, as an incomplete football player who should not be overwhelmed.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti rarely uses him from the start, but he still scores decisive goals, against Man City, against Chelsea in the quarter-finals or against Inter Milan in the group stage.

But now the burden on his shoulders will become even heavier.

Because Kylian Mbappé, the player who should make the difference between Real Madrid and other top teams in the future, decided a week ago not to come to Madrid.

Before the final, Ancelotti said he never spoke about players from other clubs.

But Real Madrid already have the future in the team with defensive Camavinga (19), Vinicius (21) and Rodrygo (21).

In the semifinals against Manchester, Benzema Rodrygo offered to score the decisive penalty in the 95th minute after scoring two goals, a chance for a hat-trick.

But Rodrygo gave the 34-year-old captain the last shot in the final, the big moment of triumph.

This reserved manner distinguishes him.

When the journalists harass him at the press conference before the final, he seems rather uncomfortable.

He keeps repeating that he wants to help the team and still has a lot of work to do to become a regular at Real.

He has strived for this career all his life.

She was only 16 years old, her partner Eric Goes was a year younger when she became pregnant, his mother Denise says in a report on the in-house TV station Reals.

Her son left the house at five o'clock every day to go to training with two-time Brazilian World Cup winners FC Santos, for which he had to cross the Brazilian metropolis of São Paolo.

At 1:00 p.m. he went to school and at 6:00 p.m. to indoor soccer.

At the age of eleven, he got his first outfitter contract from Nike.

His father was also a professional soccer player in Brazil.

"I grew up surrounded by footballs," says Rodrygo.

This complete fixation went well with him.

The family went to Madrid with him when he signed for Real in 2019, the father's former fitness trainer now looks after the son.

He has trained more than three kilos of muscle mass in Madrid, but Rodrygo still looks weak.

He is completely different on the pitch.

He's on the ball faster there than he can even see: "I trusted that the ball would go right there," he said while watching his first goal on a cell phone after the game against ManCity, "and was faster than the goalkeeper".

With his second goal, the only 174 centimeter tall striker jumped higher than the central defenders: "Carvajal crossed and I made this movement with my head.

I didn't even see the ball."

With this feeling for what is happening in the game in the penalty area and the quick and safe shots, he shows qualities that he is apparently not really aware of himself.

"That's the killer instinct," says a reporter and Rodrygo modestly repeats: "Yes, that's the killer instinct."