Real Madrid News
Rodrygo talks Luka Modric, Carlo Ancelotti and Vinicius Jr
It seems like ever since last season, Rodrygo has started to find his feet in a Real Madrid shirt.
While many questioned whether he merited a presence at one of the biggest clubs in the world, the Brazilian international’s clutch displays in the Champions League silenced a lot of his critics.
Scoring vital goals against Chelsea and Manchester City, the former Santos wonderkid was a key reason why Los Blancos reigned supreme in Europe.
Even this season, the 21-year-old has shone across the frontline, especially in the absence of the formerly injured Karim Benzema as a false nine.
Despite things looking up for the youngster, his humility shines through as he expresses how the fact that he plays alongside Luka Modric stuns him to this day.
“I’ve no words to talk about Modrić, he’s a star, he’s cheerful. It’s always a pleasure to play with him, and share the locker room because I only saw him on PlayStation and today, I play next to him. It’s unbelievable for me.” (h/t RM4Arab)
Another teammate of Rodrygo’s that he seems to share a close bond with his fellow countryman, Vinicius Jr. During the controversy around the latter’s habit of dancing after scoring goals in celebration, it was the former who most certainly stood up for him.
After opening the scoring in a contest as major as the Madrid Derby, Rodrygo decided to initiate a dance in front of the abusive Atletico Madrid supporters, as Vinicius joined proceedings.
Rodrygo had kind words to say about the ex-Flamengo superstar saying: “Vinicius played really well last season. He’s had a great season and I’m sure he will continue to grow and continue to play better because of his quality and speed. He has everything to be the best.”
The Brazilian international also hailed manager Carlo Ancelotti, as he said: “I think I learn a little from him every day. They have given us a lot of experience, a lot of confidence. I think the most important thing I learn from him every day is to always pass on trust to others.”
From the looks of it, the versatile forward seems chuffed with life at Real Madrid, which is welcome news for Madridistas.
Real Madrid are blessed to have the services and loyalty of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. The duo have run the show in the Merengues’ midfield for close to a decade and continue to deliver flawless performances to date.
Of the two, however, it is the Croatian who deserves the higher credit. The veteran is now 37 years of age, yet dominates the middle of the park with grace and poise like none other.
Stephen Estuaqio, an FC Porto player and Canada International, spoke earlier this week about why he considered Luka Modric to be a special player and compared him with Kevin de Bruyne to support his stance.
“I played against De Bruyne, but I ran behind Modrić. I couldn’t play against him. It’s crazy how he dictates the game and controls everything. It was a lesson for me,” he said on The 90th minute on Youtube.
With his contract running out next season, Real Madrid are looking to renew his deal by one year come June. Yet, it is difficult to see him continue beyond next season and his imminent departure will mark the end of an era at the club.
Thus, Modric could be an altered role come next season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham set to arrive, the veteran could move into a mentorship role with the occasional appearance in big games.
This season, however, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as one of the backbones of the side and deploy the maestro in the must-win fixtures coming up later this month.
At 37 years of age, Modric has started 16 La Liga games over 24 appearances this season in the competition. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in that process in addition to creating eight big chances with an average of 1.8 key passes per game.
