Real Madrid Player Ratings from a 1-0 Copa del Rey exit to Athletic Bilbao

LW Vinicius Jr.

Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to make Vinicius Jr. the first sub may have surprised Madridistas, but it makes sense when you take into account that he started for Brazil very recently and was taking a lot of fouls from Athletic Bilbao’s players.

Vinicius was the only consistent threat and ball-carrier for Real Madrid throughout the match. Los Blancos did turn up the intensity after he left, mainly thanks to improved play from Marco Asensio, but it was too little, too late. When Vini is on the pitch and Karim Benzema is not, it feels like he gets no help from his teammates. I bet he can’t wait for Kylian Mbappe. But to be brutally honest, he won’t like how he played against Athletic Bilbao either.

Rating: 5.5

CF/RW Marco Asensio

Marco Asensio was downright horrible for most of the match, though can I really blame him when he should not have been starting as a false nine? It is no coincidence that Asensio was more lively and more effective on the right wing, and he should have had a game-winning assist for Casemiro.

Alas, Asensio turning up the heat was too little, too late. It does not undo roughly an hour of anonymous play from a player who probably shouldn’t get a rumored extension.

Rating: 5.0

CF Isco

Maybe he was offside, but he didn’t know it. And therefore, Isco needs to be docked even more heavily for his miss from point-blank range than Casemiro was, considering Isco is actually an attacking player. Carlo’s decision to sub in Isco as the new false nine was not a bad one, considering Isco was a hero in the last two Copa del Rey fixtures. The Andalusian could not, however, find the magic on Thursday night. That said, he did not put in a bad shift and was better at the position than Asensio. Real’s attack was better with him on the pitch, even if it still was not great.

Rating: 5.5

LW/RW Rodrygo Goes

The worst player on the pitch. By far. Rodrygo Goes was a minus for Real Madrid. I know we all love him, but I have made a commitment to you, the reader, to be as honest as possible, even with players I normally praise.

Rodrygo cannot play like this if he wants to be a long-term option for Real Madrid. This is not an acceptable level in any match for a forward at this club. And while Asensio improved at his favored position, Rodrygo was even more woeful on the left. His decision-making and positioning were worse than what I would expect from a Castilla player in their debut.

Rodrygo had no successful dribbles completed and no key passes in 90 minutes. I don’t want to hear about his defensive work-rate. It was great. But it means nothing in a game in which Real Madrid lost 1-0 and provided no attacking threat. Rodrygo was the main culprit behind the zero attacking threat.

Rating: 3.0