At 18-years-old, it’s safe to say Rodrygo Goes is well ahead of where many expected him to be in his first season with Real Madrid. And, after receiving his first call up to the Brazilian national team, it’s clear manager Tite has faith in his potential.
“Rodrygo has a lot of talent and he did well off the bench against Argentina, although we hadn’t planned to bring him on,” Tite told the press after a 1-0 loss to Argentina a week ago in Abu Dhabi.
"“We have to be patient and give him time so that his training is done in the right way. And for that we have to go step by step — wait for right time to make the right decision. His time will come with the national team and we can’t rush ahead with things.”"
The future is bright. There is no denying that Rodrygo’s recent run of form and the confidence Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has shown in him already screams great things are coming very soon.
The healthy competition between good friends Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo should excite Madrid fans as these two forwards, along with talented center back Eder Militao, are primed to become the next wave of Galacticos whose names are chanted at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In his first international call up, Rodrygo managed just 21 minutes on the pitch over two matches, but as Tite mentioned, he is well ahead of where everyone expected him to be. The proof is in his incredible work with Real Madrid in recent weeks.
A hat-trick and an assist in the thumping of Galatasaray a couple of weeks ago combined with two goals in La Liga in just five appearances has Rodrygo second on the team behind only Benzema for most goals in all competition to this point.
And, after being chosen regularly for the last month, all indications point to his form continuing. The Brazilian national team might be one of the hardest squads in the world to break into but, as we have already seen, the wickedly-talented Rodrygo has already managed to break into the world class Real Madrid lineup in just about four months so why can’t he do it with Brazil?
The coaching staffs for Los Blancos and Brazil need to be cautious with the youngster’s training load and amount of playing time since time is a luxury here. It’s frightening to think that Rodrygo could play at the top level for a decade or more, so, playing him too much is just unnecessary.
Vinicius Junior could be worried about his dip in playing time, but he too has a part to play for this club. We saw what the other young Brazilian forward was capable of just a year ago and he is still a high quality player.
Tite is smart to give Rodrygo at least some playing time and we should all expect more of it when the next international break rolls around.