Coming into the 2024/25 LaLiga season, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham received so much hype that Rodrygo Goes was literally left off the proposed "BMV" nicknames for the new-look Real Madrid attacking lineup. That led to the refrain, "Don't forget the 'R'", started by Bellingham in reference to Rodrygo, who rightfully felt snubbed by the attention going elsewhere.
But with the season almost over, Real Madrid sit far away from the hype. Although they are into the Copa del Rey Final against Barcelona, if their record against the Blaugrana in other competitions is anything to go by, they are not the favorites to win the cup. And their trophy counter could very well sit at zero, as Barcelona are in control of LaLiga and Real are currently down 3-0 on aggregate to Arsenal, who themselves are more than 10 points behind the Premier League leaders.
It has been far from a banner year for Real Madrid, and, now, the inverse with Rodrygo is true. Whereas he came into the 2024/25 season overlooked in comparison to his teammates in the praise department, he is now receiving less criticism than his more well-known teammates, shielded by the disappointing performances from Vinicius Jr. and the up-and-down nature of Mbappe's successful but often selfish inaugural campaign in Royal White colors.
Rodrygo's numbers should be better
Rodrygo's numbers are easily the most underwhelming of anyone in the Real Madrid front three, even with the caveat that he does sacrifice his own stats to help the team. The Brazilian international has scored just six goals with five assists, ranking him fourth on the team in goal contributions. He barely has more goal contributions than Fede Valverde in midfield with only one more assist than right back Lucas Vazquez.
But beyond the surface, the actual underlying numbers aren't as bad. Only Mbappe and Vinicius average more dribbles completed per game than Rodrygo, who carries the ball in one-on-ones far less often than his more demanding teammates. Rodrygo is also second in key passes per game behind only Vinicius Jr., who, again, is able to get into more situations where can make passes into the penalty area.
Paradoxically, the solution to getting more out of Rodrygo is to put the ball in his hands more often. Vinicius Jr. is a terror who runs at people, Mbappe is a sniper who cares about scoring more than anything else, and Bellingham is an athletic monster who likes to run and take charge. Rodrygo, then, is the most elegant player on the team and is more of a cerebral assassin. Not that his teammates aren't "thinking" players; it's just that Rodrygo is someone who wins more on quickness in his movements and thinking rather than in his clinical finishing or sheer explosiveness as an athlete.
Rodrygo is the true key player for Real Madrid
Rodrygo is, in basketball terms, a point guard. He's a facilitator. He has always done his best work weaving plays together with others, working one-twos, and navigating tight spaces with someone else to play off of. But he can't do those things successfully if he's on the periphery of games or outside of central areas.
Real Madrid are still having troubles with spreading the wealth. We all knew that would be the issue upon Mbappe's arrival, but the de factor solution the players have found is very disjointed. It involves Mbappe shooting more than any other player in European football, Vinicius dribbling the ball aimlessly into triple-teams, Bellingham charging to clean up the scraps of the other two's errors, and then Rodrygo attempting to make himself useful but so far removed from the action that it doesn't work.
To get the most out of all these supreme talents, Real Madrid need to play through their most unselfish player - the one most willing and able to get the others involved on goal. That man is Rodrygo. He, the overlooked and forgotten, secretly holds the key to unlocking this talented but maddeningly inconsistent and underpforming Real Madrid attack. The sooner Carlo Ancelotti figures this out and gets back to involving Rodrygo as he did in the 2021/22 and 2023/24 seasons when it mattered most, the greater the chances are of Real Madrid salvaging some silverware out of this uneven campaign.