Rodrygo - when love for the royal club defeated Barcelona's offer

2023-08-17 13:05 © Reuters

Madridthe "Real" forward Rodrygo grew up in the academy of "Santos" in Brazil.

"Santos" is historically one of the biggest clubs in Brazil, nurturing world-class football talents.

Legends like Pele, Neymar, and countless other Brazilian football icons grew up in this club's system. This is where Rodrygo also emerged, becoming the youngest "Santos" player to debut in the Copa Libertadores tournament, later becoming the youngest Brazilian to score a goal in this tournament.

Over the past decades, the legend of "Santos" has been Neymar, who spent his years at Barcelona, becoming a true football star there. Most local kids became fans of the Catalan club, but there were also those who sided with the other side of the "El Clasico."

The young Brazilian talent Rodrygo was noticed by the Barcelona team, and everything was close to him ending up in Catalonia, but he had been a loyal fan of Madrid's "Real" his whole childhood. This became a crucial detail that led to him not going to Barcelona.

Rodrygo shared the backstory of this story:

"Practically everything was agreed with Barcelona, we just needed to sign the contract.

I asked my dad: 'Haven't I received any attention from Madrid's "Real" yet?' Nothing. I asked to wait for the weekend, as we had a match that day.

I said: 'I will play amazingly, and Madrid's "Real" will notice me.' And that's what happened later.

After moving to Spain, representing the royal club, Rodrygo won the UEFA Champions League. In the semifinals, he scored two goals and extended the game to extra time, after which "Real" reached the final.