3 Real Madrid players with a point to prove vs. Inter Milan
RW Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo Goes had a quiet day against Real Sociedad on the stat sheet, but he still had a positive influence on the match due to his tireless defending, which was important against one of La Liga’s most electrifying attacking sides. And it paid off, given that La Real never scored.
However, Real Madrid did not sign Rodrygo for 50 million euros from Santos in 2019 to be a defensive winger. They want the 20-year-old to take on responsibility and become an important player in his own right. Already, Rodrygo is a solid rotation player, and that would be a good role for him when Kylian Mbappe presumably joins forces with Vinicius Junior in 2022-2023. Surely, though, Rodrygo aspires for more. And we know he is capable of so much more.
As we saw the first time Rodrygo faced Inter, the young winger lives for these kinds of games. The Champions League is his trademark competition. He was the standout attacker against Sheriff in Real’s latest Champions League matchup. The right winger scored earlier in the competition against Shakhtar Donetsk, too.
He probably won’t go off like he did in 2019-2020 against Galatasaray, but Madridistas will be hoping to see their other young winger have another big Champions League night. Inter will be an even tougher out the second time, with Simone Inzaghi likely having a tweaked gameplan to one that was nearly successful the first time around.
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Like Real, Inter is one of those sides that gets stronger as the season continues. Real Madrid will need Rodrygo at his strongest to get the win. And for him personally, every match in the spotlight is important for him. Not just in locking down the right wing spot over Marco Asensio (and others), but also in remaining on the path to stardom. He has it in him, even if most of the rest of the world remains unaware.