Rodrygo: "I won't be a reserve and neither will Vinicius"
The Madrid-bound Brazilian teenager says that going to Madrid to sit on the bench hasn't crossed his mind.
Despite having been bought by Real Madrid, Rodrygo will continue will stay in Brazil with Santos for the time being. The 17-year-old will not arrive in Madrid until next year, but is he is already thinking ahead and sees himself fighting for a starting place, along with friend and compatriot Vinicius, who was officially unveiled at the Bernabeu yesterday.
“With the qualities that he and I have, we will get to play several positions. Good players can play together,” he said in an interview with Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo.
The young striker believes he will not arrive in Madrid to be a reserve player, and neither has Vinicius. “Honestly, being there without playing has not even crossed my mind because I have potential. I don’t think this will happen, even for Vinicius. Because of his talent and everything he can do, I don’t think he will be a reserve either.”
Focus on Santos
Rodrygo picked up an injury this week, although it isn’t too serious. And while he is focused on his recovery and playing for Santos, he still occasionally dreams about his not-too-distant future in Madrid. "It's the best club in the world. So you just expect good things to happen. Of course I think about it but I'm focused on Santos because I'm going to stay here for another year,” he said.
Neymar
The Madrid-bound player also spoke about Neymar and believes that criticism aimed at him for feigning injuries at the World Cup is unwarranted.
"There are also players from other countries exaggerating injuries. When Neymar cried on the field, they say he just wants attention and that he is a crybaby. I saw Uruguay players and players from other teams crying and everyone applauded them. I cannot understand the criticism,” he said.
