Rodrygo: “I feel better every day”

Rodrygo Goes (Osasco, Brazil, 2001) is putting the finishing touches on his recovery from the knee injury that ruled him out of the end of Real Madrid’s season and Brazil’s World Cup campaign. It has been a difficult few months, both physically and mentally, but also a valuable learning experience. Now, he is looking to the future with optimism and the excitement of someone starting a new chapter in his career.

The forward sat down with AS in New York, where he is spending a few days on vacation while attending Adidas events and continuing his rehabilitation, to discuss the World Cup, his time away from the field, and what comes next.

What have you made of this World Cup?

“What’s interesting about this World Cup is that there are more national teams. There are more games, and teams that normally wouldn’t qualify because of how difficult their qualifying campaigns are now have the opportunity to be here. We’re seeing teams that nobody expected to qualify. This World Cup has been great.”

Teams like Cape Verde or Paraguay?

“A lot of the time we only focus on the favorites, and then you see teams that nobody expected making it into the knockout rounds. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Brazil finally seems to have found its rhythm...

“Yes, but that’s because Brazil has been playing a series of World Cups within this World Cup. Right from our opening game, we treated it like a final. That was our message throughout qualifying and during the entire process. We knew that once we got to the World Cup, every one of the seven or eight games in the tournament would be a final. Every game is a World Cup final.”

Is that how it’s being experienced from inside the camp?

“I’m sure Brazil is approaching it that way because we’ve all been through this process and understand how things work there. That’s definitely the mentality. Not just among the players, but throughout the coaching staff and everyone around the Brazilian Football Confederation. The mindset is to win one game at a time, treating each one like a final until the last match and reaching our goal.”

How is your injury coming along?

“I’m doing very well. Things are going really well, actually. I’m happy with my progress, and I feel better every day. It’s a process that requires a lot of patience. Some days you wake up and you don’t feel great, while on others you feel fantastic, like you could go out for a run or even play. You have to be patient throughout the process. But I’m doing well, I’m happy, and all the feedback I’ve received has been positive.”

These last few months must have been very difficult...

“Over these last three and a half months I’ve experienced everything: really good days, but also really bad days when I was in a lot of pain. It’s been very difficult, the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. There are days when you wake up with no energy at all, and others when you feel full of energy. I’ve experienced all of it. I’ve gone through everything, and I know those experiences will make me stronger when I get the chance to play again.”

One thing that’s clear is that people in New York love you. How do you handle all that attention?

“It’s a wonderful feeling. I’m very grateful for all the affection I’ve received since I got injured in Madrid and during the time I spent in Brazil. Everyone I met there showed me so much support, and now during this World Cup I’ve felt that love from people everywhere. It’s been really special. Honestly, it gives me strength and motivates me to keep moving forward.”

Doesn’t that come with a lot of responsibility?

“Without a doubt, it’s a responsibility, but I see it as a positive one. It means a lot to know that so many kids and so many people look up to me and follow what I do. I think it’s an opportunity to keep doing the right things because there are always people watching and following me. It’s a very positive responsibility, and I feel honored to have it.”

Carlo Ancelotti now has a huge responsibility with Brazil, but he seems to have settled in perfectly.

“I’ve had the privilege of spending several years working with him, so I know him very well. I think Ancelotti is the kind of person who’s very easy for us players to understand, but for the media, like you, and for people on the outside who don’t follow the team closely, he’s harder to predict. Sometimes people are left confused because they expect him to do one thing, and then he’ll change his mind at the last second. But everything he does is carefully thought out, and it always makes sense.”

So he’s practically family at this point.

“To me, he’s exceptional, both tactically and in the way he manages the locker room and the entire group. He always knows exactly what he’s doing. I hope the Brazilian people and the media come to understand him better over time, and that the results also show just how good he really is.”

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