Rodrygo
Real Madrid, 2019-
In most football teams, Rodrygo would be the superstar. Yet playing for Real Madrid in an era of megastars and Champions League triumphs, he has developed something of a reputation for being overlooked. “Rodrygo, so underrated,” said Jude Bellingham, when Thierry Henry put it to the England midfielder that “nobody talks about him [Rodrygo], and his work rate, skills, [and] what he does for the team”. He might not be the poster boy for Real Madrid, but if he were to leave the Spanish giants, there would be no shortage of Champions League contenders interested in his signature.
Born in Osasco, Brazil in 2001, Rodrygo Silva de Goes initially developed many of his skills as a talented young futsal player. But the 11-a-side game was quick to poach him, and he made his debut for Santos at the age of 16. By 18 he was playing for Real Madrid and Brazil, winning two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles by the age of 23.
Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed Rodrygo’s technical skills and his position within Real Madrid’s team structure…
Technical analysis
Rodrygo is a right-footed winger who usually plays on the right side of the front line. He has also made some starts on the left, as well as being a central forward in a front three when needed. His best attribute as a winger is his ability to carry the ball forward over larger distances, as well as dribbling in tight spaces and beating opponents 1v1.
He is very effective at driving into the final third and gaining territory with ball-carrying. A smooth mover, he rarely gets the ball stuck in his running stride when he is carrying it. With the ball he can go both ways, making it harder to force him into a pressing or defensive trap. He also has the physical capability to accelerate and decelerate with purpose.
Rodrygo’s explosive acceleration enables him to outrun opponents, often using a fairly simple knock and run – especially when attacking from the right (below). This is very useful when there is a large space in behind, which he makes the most of by accelerating from a slow or even static start – pausing to lock his opponent, then bursting past. During the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, Rodrygo had a higher 1v1 and dribble-success percentage than Kylian Mbappé. He outperformed Vinícius Júnior with this metric between 2022 and 2025.
When shifting the ball on to his left foot, he has demonstrated superb balance to drop his shoulder and push off. It certainly helps that he can pass, turn, chop, stop, cross and shoot on both sides, keeping defenders guessing which way he will attack. His ability to move both ways also helps with his deeper carries, helping his team work the ball into the final third from counter-attacks, and when up against a block.
In addition to his ball-carrying and dribbling, Rodrygo can progress the ball forward with delicate passes and combinations. Whether moving from a wide starting position or receiving slightly inside, his forward passing and decision-making is impressive. He often waits for his opponent to engage him before passing with the front of his foot (below).
His clever movements can help deeper teammates to progress the ball, as he takes up intelligent pockets in which to receive. In these situations, he has demonstrated his ability to maintain attacks and penetrate the box. His overall awareness when high up the pitch is very good, and his weight of pass and timing of release benefits receiving teammates in and around the box.
Goalscoring
His ability with both feet not only helps his carries and forward passing, but also his shooting. When utilising a knock and run or attacking on the outside, Rodrygo can powerfully drive efforts across goal (below). As a result, many opponents try to show him on to his perceived weaker left foot, but he can still use it to strike with power and accuracy. For example, he can bend or drive efforts after moving inside from the right. Having played on the left and attacked on the outside, he has also developed low driven efforts on his left foot. With more opportunities to shoot – and without diminishing his ability to create and sustain attacks for others – he certainly has the capability to score more goals. As it stood, in his first 270 games for Madrid he had scored 68 goals.
Right-winger
For most of his career at Real Madrid, Rodrygo has operated from the right side of a 4-3-3. Initially supporting Karim Benzema and Vinícius, he attacked as a traditional right-winger. This included attacking on the outside, and making runs beyond when Benzema dropped into midfield. Vinícius, meanwhile, held the width on the left, looking to attack 1v1 in as much space as possible. Rodrygo would drive forward on the outside, then pass back inside or drive crosses for central teammates to attack. Benzema was a strong target to aim for, while Vinícius would attack them from the opposite wing. With Dani Carvajal or Lucas Vázquez also attacking the wide area from right-back, Rodrygo’s dribbles and carries helped Madrid progress forward with energy and purpose. This was especially true on transitions, where he was given license to move inside from wide right when needed.
When Jude Bellingham arrived in 2023 to crash the penalty area from midfield, Rodrygo had an additional target to aim for. Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos have provided similar targets, while forward runs in the right inside channel have given Rodrygo a player ahead to combine with, utilising his front-foot passing technique.
With Mbappé joining the front line in 2024/25, whenever Rodrygo attacked from the right, he often had two players in narrowed support; Mbappé and Vinícius were often well placed centrally as Madrid’s attacking focal points. This front three have combined well with quick combinations inside, rarely resorting to crosses – as a team, Real Madrid ranked third-lowest for crosses in the 2024/25 La Liga season. At right-back Carvajal or Vázquez supported Rodrygo underneath, sometimes overlapping or underlapping, depending on the central-midfield support. Where possible, Madrid had Valverde or Bellingham running forward to work around and through the front line. This allowed Rodrygo to combine inside with his forward passing, while still being positioned to attack on the outside, 1v1, when needed (below).
Versatile positioning
Rodrygo has also played as a centre-forward for Madrid – mostly in the 2023/24 season after Benzema had left, but before Mbappé arrived. At that time Rodrygo led the front line, supported by Vinícius off the left. Bellingham made forward runs from midfield and was often the main goalscoring threat, finishing as Madrid’s highest scorer in the league. Rodrygo’s ability to combine in tight spaces and link with wider teammates through clever forward passing released both Bellingham and Vinícius.
Rodrygo rotated fluidly when starting in a central role, sometimes attacking from the left side, working around Bellingham’s forward runs and movements inside from Vinícius. Madrid’s right-back – Carvajal or Vázquez – often initially attacked alone, allowing Rodrygo to move back to his more familiar wide-right position when needed. As both Madrid full-backs advanced, Rodrygo could drop short to link (below), or move into a wide area, with the central-midfield unit protecting and supporting underneath from within Madrid’s flat 4-4-2 or 4-4-2 diamond structure. Rodrygo could play central for longer, similar to the way Mbappé attacked with Vinícius in the French striker’s first season at Madrid.
It was a demonstration of the versatility and effectiveness that has made Rodrygo a key part of a very successful era for Real Madrid. Not everyone may have realised just how important he has been to the world’s biggest football club, but his teammates and coaches have been in no doubt.
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