In May of 2013, Barcelona announced that they had finally signed Neymar after a long, drawn
out transfer saga which spanned over two years of negotiations. Neymar
and his father had talks with various clubs, including Real Madrid, but
ultimately they chose Barcelona -- the only club ready to give in to their demands.
The deal, as it later turned out, was filled with hidden fees and lies which then-president
Sandro Rossell buried from the public. Still, as fishy as the transfer was,
Real Madrid missed out on an elite talent. Neymar, after Ronaldinho, was the
second Brazilian superstar they let get away within a 10-year span.
Since then, Real Madrid vowed to never miss out on another Ronaldinho or Neymar again.
In signing Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo Goes in the past two seasons -- two
very raw and young teengers from Brazil -- they hope at least one of them
will pan out as a future cornerstone of their attack.
This is an era in which big clubs around Europe have become financial powerhouses. Real Madrid
are no longer the major player when it comes to signing superstars.
Club president Florentino Perez has been vocal about this, and has
pivoted his transfer strategy to one that focuses on stockpiling the most talented young
players around the world before they become established world-beaters.
“We have to go for the young players, due to FFP,” Perez said in May. “We have the
best in Rodrygo, Vinicius, Brahim. They are the players who will win (European
Cups) in the future. This is the policy we must adopt - that of young future
stars.” In Rodrygo, Real Madrid have signed a blitzing
offensive weapon that can play in multiple positions in attack. Like his
idol Neymar, Rodrygo can attack down either flank, and can occasionally carry the ball
through central channels. His pace is a huge asset, but he can also create
space for himself with a quick shoulder feint. His dribbling allows him to
escape swarming defenders. Off the ball, he has an exemplary work rate, and works hard
to retain possession -- this should help him fit in to any pressing scheme.
Rodrygo’s biggest asset, though, is his obsession with dynamic football and finding
the quickest path to goal. He is an efficient dribbler, and not
superfluous with the ball at his feet. He will rarely look backwards. Like
Vinicius Jr and Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo looks vertical at every opportunity -- with an eye
to break lines and keep defenders back-peddling and guessing his next
move. That menacing offensive mindset will also
be something he’ll need to work on as he transitions his game to Europe. In
La Liga, he’ll have less space to work with. Rarely at Santos did opposing teams send a
second defender to help once Rodrygo dribbled past the wing-back. Those
cut-ins in Spain will be met with compact defenders who will close down
his shooting angles. Rodrygo, not a midfield engine who drops deep, will have to improve
his passing, and link-up with his midfielders to break down defenders in
a slower, possession based scheme. Teams in La Liga learned to stifle Real Madrid’s
build-up last season by pressing them high up the pitch and taking
away space on the flanks. Rodrygo will have to learn to cope with more pressure.
He’s talented enough to adapt. His Brazilian counterpart, Vinicius, did so impressively.
And if you believe Brazil's head coach Tite, Rodrygo’s arrival in Madrid
is even more intriguing. Tite believes Rodrygo is more complete than
Vinicius, and last season, further elaborated on this point by saying: “It's amazing how
he makes decisions, his mental game is that of a player of 25. But he does
not have physical strength yet. Vinicius does, although he's more
individualistic." Rodrygo’s character and maturity should
be emphasised. He’s a quick learner, and past teammates and coaches have
raved about his humility. He carries himself on the pitch like a leader, despite being
among the youngest on his team. He doesn’t waste time getting involved much
in antics on the field. Given his incredible pace and dribbling ability, he
leaves defenders frustrated throughout the match. Inevitably, that leads to bone-crunching
challenges from angry players seeking retribution. Rodrygo gets
hit hard, and he’s fouled often. The Santos coaching staff have been worried
about his safety on the pitch in the past due to the amount of hits he
receives -- especially once he got a taste of Copa Libertadores. “He’s a jewel, it’s
a shame that his technique is stopped with violence,” former Santos head coach
Jair Ventura said in May of 2018. It’s unclear where Rodrygo’s place will
be next season. Real Madrid still have to sell multiple players before the season
starts, and where Rodrygo fits in all this is up in the air. The most likely scenario
is that he follows the Vinicius Jr path -- stay in Madrid and train with the team
regularly while playing games with Castilla. That way he’s just an arm’s length
away if they need to call him. As we saw with Vinicius last season, those emergency situations
can arise quickly.
Rodrygo Goes is an exciting young talent, and with him and Takefusa Kubo potentially
on the flanks at Real Madrid Castilla next season, with Raul Gonzalez in
charge, Castilla might be one of the more exciting youth teams in world
football in the 2019 - 2020 season.