Until the 79th minute, Real Madrid were 3-0 behind Chelsea at the Bernabeu. If that score is held until the end, Benzema's three brilliant goals at Stamford Bridge will be in vain. However, the reversal of the balance in football is often only in an instant, with Kante's pass in midfield being cut off, Marcelo connecting Modric, the Croatian passing the ball into the box with his signature out-of-the-pitch pass, rodrigo inserting into the box and cushioning shots between Thiago Silva and Marcos Alonso. Rodrigo's goal saved Real Madrid.
It was only Rodrigo's first touch since coming off the bench a minute ago, but the brazilian junior was flawless from running to hitting. Rodrigo said after the game that it was his most important goal to date, in the Champions League Rodrigo made 24 appearances, contributed 8 goals and 7 assists, averaging 1 goal per 69 minutes, and it was also his third goal in the Champions League this season, and more people began to believe that Rodrigo was a young man with the potential to become a "big-game player".
Rodrigo's pace at Real Madrid is a little slower than Vinicius, who has been promoted to the absolute main force of Real Madrid, and he is still fighting for the main position, of course, this can be attributed to the fact that he joined Real Madrid one step later than Vinicius, and in terms of age, he himself is 6 months younger than Vinicius. However, it is also an indisputable fact that Rodrigo has been in a better position this season than last season, with 18 starts this season and three goals and seven assists surpassing last season. More importantly, Rodrigo's game content and his characteristics in terms of ball dealership and foot skills have been recognized by many experts.
As Rodrigo's main contender in the right winger position, Asensio has scored more goals than Rodrigo this season, but thanks to his lackluster performance in several tough games, Asensio's future in the team has been marked with a big question mark, while the 21-year-old Rodrigo is still trusted and believed to be one of the important players at the Bernabeu.
Also young Brazilian juniors, Rodrigo and Vinicius differed greatly in their technical styles. Vinicius is outgoing and open-minded, always running and dribbling passionately on the pitch, and despite his immaturity when he first arrived at Real Madrid, Real Madrid soon found that Vinicius's dribbling could inject momentum into the team.
Rodrigo also played on the left when he was in Brazil, and at Real Madrid, he is more defined as a right winger, his speed and explosiveness are not as good as Vinicius, but Rodrigo has a unique alertness and acumen on the pitch, and his hat-trick in last year's Champions League match between Real Madrid and Villarreal and the winning goal against Inter Milan in September this year are Rodrigo's masterpieces – although very young, Rodrigo has shown far more sophistication than his peers in terms of running without the ball and using his footwork.
Remember The Goal rodrigo scored with an assist from Camaringa? The same volley after the non-stop ball, the last time Rodrigo's left-footed shot bounced back to help Real Madrid beat Inter Milan, today's assist for Rodrigo was replaced by Modric, and this time Rodrigo's shot was more clean and clean, he accurately judged the landing point, and the powerful shot made Edouard Mendy have to look at the ball and sigh.
In today's football world where "muscle" and strength are becoming more and more dominant, Rodrigo seems to be a bit out of place, his thin figure seems to be a bit of a disadvantage in the confrontation of European football, but in terms of technology and consciousness, Rodrigo does have extraordinary talent. During his time at Santos, Rodrigo also left a long-distance shot for fans with the ball, so after landing in Europe, how to position Rodrigo? Playing as a left winger? There are Hazard and Vinicius, Bale and Asensio can also play on the left. More often, Rodrigo played as a right winger at Real Madrid, and although this is not the position he is most familiar with when playing in Brazil, Rodrigo's performance in this position is still quite bright, and his performance on the pitch proves that he is a player who is really good at playing with his brain.
This season, Rodrigo's body is clearly stronger than before, and on the pitch, Rodrigo has also been more aggressive – he prefers to break through the opposing defenders and tries more direct shots than he did last season – in order to win a place at the highly competitive Bernabeu, he must give a more memorable performance, his talent is enough to make him easy to establish in European football, but if he is to truly become an important member of real Madrid's first team, he has to work harder than others.
Rodrigo's performances this season are promising, at least in the right winger position, and many believe his sequence is already ahead of Asensio, Vazquez and Bale. Valverde is certainly a very good player, but the Uruguayan is still mainly playing in midfield, but the real threat to Rodrigo may come from next season - Real Madrid are known to be working hard to run the transfer of Mbappe and Haaland, and either of these two is bound to occupy a main position once they join, which means that Rodrigo's rivals will become stronger.
Of course, there will be uncertainty about the future of Real Madrid's attacking line, such as the position conflict between Mbappe and Vinicius, who are considered to be almost certain to join Real Madrid, and it is not easy for any one of them to change position, and how Ancelotti will arrange the front line for next season is exciting, which also means that Rodrigo may have new opportunities.
(Santiago-Wang)