Real Madrid News
Rodrygo talks Mbappe amid Real Madrid rumours: “The sooner, the better”
Heading into the 2023-24 season, Rodrygo Goes can expect to feature as a full-time starter. The youngster indeed does not yet have a niche on the lineup, but the dire situation does not leave Carlo Ancelotti with any option other than to adjust with the limited players.
Come June, he will have more chances under his belt and the onus will be on Rodrygo to prove his worth and come good. After all, he is yet to maintain a consistent level since his move to the club.
The Brazilian phenom spoke to the media during the International break as revealed by AS and covered a plethora of topics including his role in the team, Carlo Ancelotti’s future and the transfer rumours surrounding Real Madrid. Here are the snippets from his interview.
Rodrygo first ranked Kylian Mbappe’s potential move to Real Madrid on a scale of one to ten and did not hesitate in claiming that the club needed a player of his profile. However, he understandably held himself back from commenting any further.
“For me, a 10 because he is a phenomenon, one of the best players in the world. Right now we need a player in that position, the sooner, the better. I am excited that Mbappé is coming, but he has a contract, he is in Paris, and we must respect him.”
The next topic of discussion was his new jersey number, which was revealed earlier this week to be the number 11. He claimed to be ready to take the responsibility and carry the weight the prestigious number brought with it, saying,
“It’s natural to take that responsibility. Every season we must have a more important role in the team, even more so now that Karim will not be there.”
Rumours linking Carlo Ancelotti and the Brazilian National Team have again exploded in recent days. The Italian manager’s future is thus under a cloud of doubt, and Rodrygo gave his two cents on the matter.
“It’s difficult because he has a contract next season with Real Madrid, and the next one we trust the president of the CBF a lot, we’ll see what happens.”
Finally, Rodrygo’s interview concluded with a question about the racist incidents in La Liga and Vinicius Jr’s claims of Spain being a racist country. The protege accepted that he had witnessed the events first-hand but refused to call the country racist.
“I hear a lot saying that Spain is racist. I live here, and I can say that Spain is not a racist country. Racism is in the person who chooses to be. Yet, we did see how an entire stadium shouted “monkey”, and it was very sad for everyone, especially to see him knocked down later in the locker room when he had been expelled. I have also suffered racist gestures.”
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
