Real Madrid: Ranking the 5 best under-25 players heading into 2021-22

4. RODRYGO GOES

The next player on the list is the one with the most potential in my opinion. In a season where Madrid’s wingers including Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard suffered terribly, there was only one young man who can hold his head up and admit that he had a decent season. That promising young man is Rodrygo Goes.

Though Rodrygo only scored once in the league and once in the Champions League, he really stood out with seven assists, one of them coming in the Champions League. According to Fbref.com, Rodrygo led the way with 0.64 goal contributions per 90 minutes in the league. Only Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard who mainly played in cameos and had one or two crucial touches have a better average per 90 minutes than him. And, that is really impressive for a 20-year-old amidst the pressures of playing for Real Madrid.

Rodrygo is a warehouse of talent and his performances only go to say that he can have a bright future with Real Madrid. His country and clubmate, Vinicius Junior, and he were the young wingers that the club considered important enough not to loan out. On an individual battle among the both, Rodrygo in my opinion has fared better.

Vinicius easily could have been a candidate to appear on this list. But, his finishing lets him down and Rodrygo in his limited game time and appearances has influenced games much more than Vini did. He had a streak of good displays but that was it for the season.

Statistically speaking, had Rodrygo played at least 2000 minutes he could have ended the season with 15 goal contributions. But, as it is he suffered a few injury setbacks and his season stayed limited. However, in my opinion, he is a great player and much of his potential hasn’t yet been utilized by the club and his best is yet to be seen. He deserves to be on this list ahead of his partner in crime, Vinicius Junior.