Youngster’s emergence is a huge help for Real Madrid

Alvaro Rodriguez has made just two substitute appearances in La Liga, but already has a goal and an assist to his name. At just 18 years of age, the Uruguayan wonderkid has done something so many Real Madrid youth prospects dream about – scoring against their crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.

Alvaro’s burst onto the big stage is a wonderful sight for Real Madrid fans, and while they should not expect him to contribute a goal every time he steps on the pitch, the teenager just brings something different to the squad. His emergence gives Carlo Ancelotti a wild card option he simply didn’t have before.

For the past few seasons, Real Madrid’s forward rotation has almost exclusively consisted of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Marco Asensio, and Rodrygo, with Fede Valverde also being used as a right winger with license to roam inside.

This lack of depth has proved troubling at times, such as last March’s El Clasico, when injuries led to Ancelotti playing no natural striker and Madrid being handed a 4-0 defeat. Alvaro is of course not a replacement for failing to sign Kylian Mbappe, but if he can build off his initial performances, he will be very useful as another attacking option.

Youngster’s emergence is a huge help for Real Madrid

Tall, athletic and mobile, Alvaro is most comfortable as a striker, and with Mariano Diaz the only other recognised number nine behind Karim Benzema, he is filling a major need for Ancelotti’s squad. When Real Madrid are chasing a goal, he can be brought on to provide another threat in the box, as he showed successfully last weekend.

The teenager is also smooth enough on the ball to play out wide, and that may be where he earns more minutes due to Benzema being so critical to Real Madrid’s play. Alvaro will most often be used as an impact sub, but if Ancelotti were to lean toward resting key players in any game, he finally has an intriguing option to use, rather than giving minutes to players who have not taken their opportunities, such as Mariano and Eden Hazard.

Fans of Real Madrid love their “Galacticos” more than any other club in the world, but nothing compares to an academy graduate who excels in the first team. Only time will tell what Alvaro’s future holds, but right now he has added some much needed depth to Real Madrid’s forward line.