Real Madrid News
Real Madrid call up 18-year-old Castilla striker for Sevilla clash after Benzema injury
According to MARCA, Real Madrid have included Castilla striker Alvaro Rodriguez in the squad for the match against Sevilla later tonight, following the injury to Karim Benzema.
The 34-year-old Ballon d’Or winner was ruled out of the contest earlier today due to muscle fatigue, leaving Los Blancos an attacker short heading into the crucial match at the Santiago Bernabeu. It must be noted that Mariano Diaz is also sidelined with an injury.
As a replacement, Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly named 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez in the squad, with the young striker earning his first-ever senior call-up.
Rodriguez has been with Real Madrid since 2020, having arrived from the Girona FC academy.
The teenage striker, to date, has scored six goals and set up four more in 22 matches for the club’s Castilla outfit, with two of those goals coming in the ongoing season.
Rodriguez signed a new long-term contract with Real Madrid earlier this year after turning 18, committing his future to the Spanish capital club until the summer of 2027.
The Spanish prospect was called up to train with the first-team squad on Friday and the unfortunate situation surrounding Benzema has meant that he is now in contention to make his senior debut for Real Madrid later tonight.
Iker Bravo has usually been the Castilla striker that has been called up by Ancelotti to the first-team setup this season. The ex-Barcelona forward also trained with the senior side on Friday. However, Ancelotti has decided to use Rodriguez instead of him.
With Benzema absent, Rodrygo Goes is all but certain to start through the middle.
It will be interesting to see if the 18-year-old Rodriguez gets any minutes against Sevilla.
Before he was hired by Bayern Munich as the direct replacement for Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel was closely linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The German tactician had kept a close eye on the development at Santiago Bernabeu, especially with coach Carlo Ancelotti facing immense pressure following the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions.
A recent report from Jorge Picon has offered more details on the Tuchel saga, suggesting that the coach was even learning Spanish during his time at Ibiza, anticipating a potential move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
There were even contacts made between Tuchel’s entourage and Real Madrid. Although the talks were positive, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement.
Real Madrid did not guarantee him the job. They had informed Tuchel that Ancelotti may continue at the Bernabeu in the event the club win the UEFA Champions League this season.
This bit of uncertainty played a critical role in convincing Tuchel to join Bayern Munich instead. The former Chelsea boss was hired as a direct replacement for Nagelsmann, who was sacked after a poor season in the Bundesliga by the club’s high standards.
However, Tuchel’s move to Bayern appears to be a missed opportunity on the German’s part, as Real Madrid have recently intensified their search for a new manager.
It is clear that the club’s hierarchy is yet to reach a consensus over the future of Ancelotti, with some believing that a change is necessary come the end of the season. In fact, the club’s president Florentino Perez has been an admirer of Tuchel’s compatriot Nagelsmann.
The coaching prodigy is one of the candidates to replace Ancelotti in the summer, though it is Mauricio Pochettion who is reportedly leading the race so far.
