Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City: 3 things we learned from an extraordinary comeback win

Real Madrid’s youngsters showed everyone that the future is bright

This is my favorite picture of the night.

Under the bright lights of the Santiago Bernabeu, against all odds – particularly after Riyad Mahrez’s seemingly tie-ending goal – it was Real Madrid’s youngsters that led the way against a great Manchester City team.

We have to talk about the man that made it all possible – Rodrygo Goes. He may not have pinned down his spot in the starting line-up yet, but you can sure as hell bet on him to make some sort of impact if he comes off the bench for Real Madrid. He did that against PSG in the second leg, when he came on for Marco Asensio. He did the same against Chelsea in the second leg, coming on for Toni Kroos. Then he did it in the game that basically decided the league, against Sevilla, being two goals down. Now, against Manchester City, in the biggest game of them all, Rodrygo showed them his best performance of the season.

I still don’t know when Rodrygo would be able to nail down his spot in the starting XI, especially with the expected arrival of Kylian Mbappe, but you can absolutely rely on him for a role off the bench, and when Karim Benzema’s time is over, and Rodrygo has patience, however long it may take, then he would be able to form an almost unbeatable trio of himself, Vinicius Junior, and Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid won’t need another player if Rodrygo is able to find his consistency.

We can’t just talk about Rodrygo, though. There was another player on the pitch that made it all possible. Eduardo Camavinga, just 19 years of age, showed everyone that this kid is special. He’s not only special, but he is also world-class, at this age. He’s younger than ME. What the hell, dude?

This is the third time in the Champions League knockouts this season that Camavinga entered the pitch and changed everything. Every single thing. He was so, so good, and delivering the way he did under so much pressure is something that very, very few can do in their entire career, let alone at his age.

I am just begging Real Madrid to hold on to this kid, man. Camavinga is so good. He and Rodrygo together showed us that Real Madrid’s future is bright. So, so bright. Brighter than the lights at the Bernabeu.