Real Madrid News
Real Madrid’s prodigious forward back in team training ahead of Juventus clash
As Real Madrid look to bounce back their pre-season defeat to Barcelona, they have received some good news as forward Rodrygo Goes is back in team training.
Indeed, as per Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, the 22-year-old prodigious attacker has resumed training normally with the rest of the squad today, as they prepare for the final pre-season friendly against Juventus.
Rodrygo did not participate in Real Madrid’s training sessions on Sunday, along with Ferland Mendy.
As far as the Frenchman is concerned, he is expected to be out on the sidelines for at least a month in yet another injury setback for him.
But, Los Blancos have had some good fortune as far as Rodrygo is concerned as the Brazilian wonderkid has returned to training and is already doing sessions with the rest of the group.
A big season awaits Rodrygo
Despite there never being any doubts over his potential and quality, Rodrygo, so far in his time at Real Madrid, had to take a backseat as the limelight shone on Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema.
But, with the Frenchman no longer at the club, the 22-year-old is set for a big season ahead where he will have a much more critical role to play for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Rodrygo enjoyed the best-ever campaign of his career back in 2022/23, finishing with a return of 19 goals and 11 assists from 57 appearances across all competitions.
On several occasions last season, the Brazilian international had to slot in as a centre-forward when Benzema was out with injury or was being rested.
Moving forward in the new campaign, Rodrygo will likely have to play in a central position much more frequently considering Real Madrid have Joselu as their only recognised striker.
So, the 22-year-old’s return to training after missing yesterday’s session bodes well as he will need to prepare adequately for the challenges that lie ahead in the new campaign.
Real Madrid will bring down the curtains on their pre-season tour of the USA with a friendly against Juventus on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
