Rodrygo Silva de Goes (; born 9 January 2001), simply known as Rodrygo, is a Brazilian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward for
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
club
Real Madrid and the
Brazil national team.
He began his career with
Santos, where he played 80 games and scored 17 goals before a €45 million transfer to Real Madrid in 2019. At international level, Rodrygo made his senior debut for Brazil in 2019, aged only 18.
Club career
Santos
Born in
Osasco
Osasco () is a municipality in São Paulo State, Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo and ranking 5th in population among São Paulo municipalities. According to the IBGE 2015, Osasco currently has the 9th highest gross domestic product in B ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Rodrygo joined
Santos' youth setup in 2011 at the age of ten, initially assigned to the
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
team.
In March 2017, with the first team regulars in Peru for a
Copa Libertadores match against
Sporting Cristal, he was called up to the first team by manager
Dorival Júnior
Dorival Silvestre Júnior (born 25 April 1962) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Playing career
Known only as Júnior during his playing days, he was born in Araraquara, São Pau ...
to complete training.
On 21 July 2017, Rodrygo signed his first professional contract, after agreeing to a five-year deal. On 1 November, he was promoted to the main squad by interim manager
Elano
Elano Blumer (born 14 June 1981), known as Elano, is a Brazilian football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder.
Known for his accurate passing and precise set pieces, Elano started his senior career at Santos, and sp ...
.
Rodrygo made his first team – and
Série A – debut on 4 November 2017, coming on as a late
substitute for
Bruno Henrique in a 3–1 home win against
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
*Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
*Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
. The following 25 January he scored his first senior goal, netting a
last-minute winner in a 2–1
Campeonato Paulista away win against
Ponte Preta.
Rodrygo made his
Copa Libertadores debut on 1 March 2018, replacing
Eduardo Sasha
Eduardo Colcenti Antunes (born 24 February 1992), known as Eduardo Sasha or simply Sasha, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Atlético Mineiro.
He made his professional debut for Internacional in 2010, and has won the Campeo ...
in a 2–0 away loss against
Real Garcilaso
Cusco Fútbol Club (known as ''Real Garcilaso'' until 2019) is a professional Peruvian football club based in the city of Cusco, that competes in the Liga 2, the top flight of Peruvian football.
History
Beginnings
The club was founded in ...
; aged 17 years and 50 days, he became the youngest player of Santos to appear in the competition. Fifteen days later he scored his first goal in the tournament, netting his team's second through an individual effort in a 3–1 win against
Nacional at the
Pacaembu Stadium
Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho, colloquially known as Estádio do Pacaembu (), is an Art Deco stadium in São Paulo, located in the Pacaembu neighborhood. The stadium is owned by the Municipal Prefecture of São Paulo. The stadium w ...
; at the age of 17 years, two months and six days, he became the youngest Brazilian to score in the competition before his record was broken by fellow Santos youth graduates
Kaiky and
Ângelo.
Rodrygo scored his first goal in the main category of Brazilian football on 14 April 2018, netting the last in a 2–0 home win against
Ceará. On 3 June, he scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
and also
assisted Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...
's last goal in a 5–2 home routing of
Vitória.
On 26 July 2018, Rodrygo changed his jersey number from 43 to 9 (a number he already wore during the Libertadores). For the 2019 campaign, he again switched numbers, now to jersey 11, previously worn by fellow youth graduate
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned ...
.
Real Madrid
On 15 June 2018,
Real Madrid reached an agreement with Santos for the transfer of Rodrygo, with the player joining ''Los Blancos'' in June 2019 and signing until 2025. The rumoured fee was of
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
45 million, with Santos receiving €40 million as the club owned 80% of his rights with the rest owned by Rodrygo's agents.
On 25 September 2019, Rodrygo made his first team debut and scored his first league goal against
Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...
within a mere minute. He scored his first hat-trick, being a perfect
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
, and gave an assist for the club on 6 November, aged 18 years and 301 days old, against
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
in a 6–0 win in the
2019–20 UEFA Champions League
The 2019–20 UEFA Champions League was the 65th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 28th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
Bayern Munich d ...
season. The second youngest ever to score a hat-trick in the competition, he is also the first player born in the 21st century to score in the tournament. In his first season, he managed to make 19 appearances, while scoring two goals during the league season, as Real Madrid won the
2019–20 La Liga
The 2019–20 La Liga season, also known as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, was the 89th since its establishment. The season began on 16 August 2019 and was originally scheduled to conclude on 24 May 2020.
Barcelona were the two-time ...
. On 3 November 2020, Rodrygo scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
in the
2020–21 UEFA Champions League
The 2020–21 UEFA Champions League was the 66th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 29th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea defea ...
.
On 12 April 2022, after coming on as a substitute in the second leg of the
2021–22 UEFA Champions League
The 2021–22 UEFA Champions League was the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madri ...
quarter-final tie against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, he scored with a volleyed finish to send the game into extra-time, in which
Karim Benzema
Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. ...
scored the winner from a header, allowing Real Madrid to progress into the semi-finals. On 30 April, Rodrygo helped Real clinch their
35th La Liga title after scoring twice in a 4–0 win against
Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
at the
Bernabéu. On 4 May, while trailing 0–1 (3–5 on aggregate) in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final tie against
Manchester City, he scored two goals between the 89th and 91st minutes to level the tie and send the game into extra-time. Benzema scored a penalty to win the game 3–1, allowing Real Madrid to progress into the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
with an aggregate score of 6–5 and eventually win the tournament. Following the turnaround win against City and other recent last-minute winning contributions, Rodrygo’s impact on the team was praised despite his young age and he quickly turned into a cult hero at Madrid.
International career
On 30 March 2017, Rodrygo was called up to
Brazil under-17s for the year's
Montaigu Tournament
The Montaigu Tournament (french: Tournoi de Montaigu) is an international association football competition that is contested by under-16 national teams and clubs. The tournament is also known as Mondial Minimes.
The games are held in stadiums lo ...
. He made his debut in the championship by scoring his side's only goal in a 2–1 loss against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, and netted two more against
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
and
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
On 7 March 2018, Rodrygo and Santos teammate
Yuri Alberto were called up to the
under-20s, but both were cut from the squad six days later after a request from his club's president.
In November 2019, Rodrygo was called up for the first time to the
Brazil senior team, for the
Superclásico de las Américas against rivals
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
, Saudi Arabia. In the
1–0 loss on 15 November, he replaced
Willian for the final 20 minutes.
On 7 November 2022, Rodrygo was named in the squad for the
2022 FIFA World Cup.
Personal life
Rodrygo's father,
Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
, is a former professional footballer. A
right back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
, he played in several tiers of Brazilian football, the highest of which was
Série B.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.''
Honours
Real Madrid
*
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
:
2019–20,
2021–22
*
Supercopa de España:
2019–20,
2021–22
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
:
2021–22
*
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
:
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
Individual
*
Campeonato Paulista Best Newcomer:
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
*
Goal.com NxGN: 2020
*
IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) World Team: 2020, 2021
References
External links
Real Madrid profileUn1que Football profileSantos FC profile
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodrygo
2001 births
Living people
People from Osasco
Brazilian footballers
Association football forwards
Santos FC players
Real Madrid Castilla footballers
Real Madrid CF players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Segunda División B players
La Liga players
Brazil youth international footballers
Brazil under-20 international footballers
Brazil international footballers
Brazilian expatriate footballers
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Footballers from São Paulo (state)
UEFA Champions League winning players
2022 FIFA World Cup players