Real Madrid News
Barcelona icon waxes lyrical about Real Madrid duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr
Barcelona and Brazil legend Dani Alves has lavished immense praise on Real Madrid duo Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Jr, claiming that the pair are bound for greatness.
Alves, 39, continues to be a part of the Brazil national team setup and is in the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022, along with Rodrygo and Vinicius.
Having played some of football’s greatest like Kaka, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, among several others, Alves knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of greatness. And the 39-year-old said that he sees something very special in both Rodrygo and Vinicius.
During an interview with The Guardian, the former Barcelona defender said about Rodrygo:
“I am a big fan of Rodrygo. I could spend all day talking about him. He’s a phenomenon, a prodigious talent who sees things no one else does, who plays where no one else does with daring, personality.
“It’s a long time since I saw a player like him. When he was at Santos I told friends: he’s going to be a football great, without a doubt.”
Talking about Vinicius, Alves added: “Viní brings the spectacular: a brutal individual talent, speed, power, an incredible willingness to take people on. He maybe has to work on the combinative play, which Rodrygo already has, but he’s, wow, amazing.”
However, Alves did insist that the two are still very young and need to keep working, saying: “There’s still a process to come. We can’t forget with a lot of these players that we’re talking about people who are 20, 21, 22.”
Both Rodrygo and Vinicius have grown into critical components of Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side. They had a big hand in Los Blancos’ La Liga and UEFA Champions League success last season and have been in good form this term as well.
Vinicius has scored ten goals and set up five more in 21 games for Real Madrid this term whereas Rodrygo has seven goals and five assists from 19 matches.
Given the attacking riches at the disposal of Brazil manager Tite, it will be interesting to see how much the Real Madrid duo feature at the World Cup. But, in Dani Alves’ mind, it is clear that both Rodrygo and Vinicius are on the path to greatness.
Real Madrid News
Opponent watch: Chelsea defender injured during international break, doubt for Real Madrid clash
In less than 20 days, Real Madrid will square off against Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu. And ahead of the game, the Premier League club might have been dealt an injury setback.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea right-back Reece James has sustained an injury while away on national team duty with England and could now be a doubt for the match against Real Madrid.
James is a key member of the Chelsea squad but has had multiple injury problems in the recent past. Indeed, the 23-year-old has played just 12 Premier League matches this term, having had to deal with two knee injuries and a hamstring problem.
James played just five minutes for England during their 2-1 win over Italy earlier this week but has seemingly picked up some discomfort in his thigh during that game.
As a result, he was released from the national team camp earlier today and the young right-back is already on his way back to London.
The official report from the England national team indicated that the Chelsea ace had sustained a minor hamstring injury and was returning to his club as a precaution. However, Mundo Deportivo is stating that his availability for the game against Real Madrid is unclear at this point.
Los Blancos drew Chelsea for the quarter-finals and will host the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 12 before playing the second leg at Stamford Bridge a week later.
