Real Madrid News
Real Madrid youngster on his first World Cup experience: “It’s a blessing”
Brazil boast of one of, if not the strongest squads in the World Cup. The Selecao possess players at both ends of the age spectrum, from Dani Alves to Rodrygo who are all equally vital to the team’s success.
The South American outfit confirmed their berth in the Round of 16 with a nervy win over Switzerland yesterday thanks to a goal by Casemiro assisted by Rodrygo.
The latter was interviewed by Brazilian legend Ronaldo last night where he spoke about his first World Cup and what it meant to him among other topics. Here are the snippets from his interaction
The Brazilian legend first asked Rodrygo about how he was enjoying his first World Cup experience, to which the youngster replied,
“It’s a pleasure to talk to you. I’m learning something new every day and it’s a blessing. Things are going really well for me.”
During Brazil’s first two games in the tournament, it became clear that the manager saw Vinicius-Richarlison-Raphinha as his starting front three. However, Rodrygo has impressed constantly in the minutes he has played.
The youngster also spoke about when he would win his first start in the World Cup and said he was ready. “I’m ready. Next game or after that, I am ready,” the 21-year-old insisted.
Rodrygo then elaborated on how he has been a high achiever all his life and its impact on his mentality.
“I joined Real Madrid at 18 years old. There is no time to prepare yourself. I’m always ready for everything,” the youngster added.
The Real Madrid star then gave a glimpse into the issues the players faced on the field against Switzerland, especially related to the pitch condition and ball speed, saying:
“Yes, it was too fast. It was hard to control the ball at times, the pitch being dry favours our style of play more.”
Finally, Rodrygo spoke with Ronaldo about his reunion with Casemiro at the National Team saying,
“Yes, it’s too good. I always talk with Casemiro on the pitch. Casemiro won us the game.”
Source: Official FIFA World Cup Twitter
Marco Asensio is fighting for his future at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old winger is out of contract at the end of the season and there is no concrete decision made by the club over his renewal as of yet.
Some reports had suggested that the club had tabled an offer worth €4 million per year, which the Spaniard did not like as he sought a higher pay packet closer to around €6 million-a-year.
With his future a subject of intense speculation, Asensio had been linked with a move away to Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, closer to home, there were strong links to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. Indeed, the Catalans have been touted as potential suitors for Asensio for quite some time now due to the fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes.
The superagent has close ties with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and reports in Spain have suggested that the Real Madrid winger has, indeed, been offered to the current La Liga leaders.
Amidst these speculations, however, Asensio has seemingly made it clear as to where his heart lies as he awaits a decision on his future.
During last night’s El Clasico against Barcelona, the Real Madrid winger came on as a substitute and went on to score a goal, following which he celebrated at Camp Nou, pointing to the Real Madrid logo on his shirt, showing where his allegiances lie.
The goal, however, was disallowed by the VAR, and Los Blancos ended up losing the game 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Franck Kessie.
Earlier today, Asensio took to Instagram and posted a picture of him celebrating with his finger pointing to the Real Madrid logo, reiterating his commitment to the club amidst the links to Barcelona.
As for his disallowed goal, it sparked an angry reaction from Carlo Ancelotti, who questioned the legitimacy of the decision made by the VAR during his post-match press conference.
