Real Madrid: Grading every forward from the 2020-2021 season

LW/RW Rodrygo Goes

Next up is a man on the wings, Rodrygo Goes. The Real Madrid youngster was something of a breakout star in his first season with the club, playing well on the right-hand side in 2019-2020, including a perfect hat-trick in the Champions League against Galatasaray. He, Karim Benzema, and Eden Hazard played the best attacking football we’ve seen in Madrid over the past three seasons, though that spell was very brief.

This past season, Rodrygo had some nice moments, and he was adept at creating chances. Despite logging under 1,000 minutes in LaLiga, the 20-year-old still managed to finish third on the team in assists with six, behind only world-class veterans Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema.

You can only imagine how good Rodrygo’s season would have been without that late December injury vs. Granada, which occurred right as he was establishing himself as the clear best winger on either the left or right side.

Rodrygo has a bright future ahead of him. Even though he didn’t quite reach that next level this season, he did enough to receive encouraging words from Madrididstas, who respect the young man more than quite a few of his more experienced teammates. It’s not easy to play for Real Madrid as a young player, but Rodrygo handles himself with class, playing as composed any forward on Los Merengues.

Rating: 7.0