Rodrygo facts for kids
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Rodrygo playing for Real Madrid in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 January 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Osasco, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||
| Playing position | Right winger, Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Real Madrid | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2017 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2017–2019 | Santos | 63 | (13) |
| 2019 | Real Madrid B | 3 | (2) |
| 2019– | Real Madrid | 159 | (32) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Brazil U17 | 4 | (3) |
| 2018–2019 | Brazil U20 | 10 | (3) |
| 2019–2021 | Brazil U23 | 5 | (1) |
| 2019– | Brazil | 31 | (7) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Rodrygo Silva de Goes (born on January 9, 2001), known simply as Rodrygo, is a Brazilian professional footballer. He plays as a right winger or forward for the Spanish club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. Many people think he is one of the best wingers in the world.
Rodrygo started his career with Santos in Brazil. He played 80 games and scored 17 goals for them. In 2019, he moved to Real Madrid for about €45 million. Since then, he has become a very important player for Real Madrid. He helped the club win the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League twice, in 2022 and 2024.
He also played for Brazil's youth teams before joining the senior national team in 2019 when he was just 18. He represented Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Copa América in the United States.
Contents
Rodrygo's Club Career
Playing for Santos
Rodrygo was born in Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil. He joined the Santos youth team in 2011 when he was ten years old. He first played for their futsal (indoor football) team. Rodrygo traveled around the world with Santos, showing off his futsal skills.
In March 2017, he was called up to train with the main team. On July 21, 2017, Rodrygo signed his first professional contract, which was a five-year deal. On November 1, he officially joined the main squad.
Rodrygo played his first game for the main team on November 4, 2017. He came on as a substitute in a 3–1 win against Atlético Mineiro. On January 25, he scored his first goal as a senior player. It was a last-minute winner in a 2–1 away game against Ponte Preta.
He made his Copa Libertadores debut on March 1, 2018. He was 17 years and 50 days old, making him the youngest Santos player to play in that competition. Fifteen days later, he scored his first goal in the tournament. He became the youngest Brazilian to score in the Copa Libertadores at 17 years, two months, and six days old.
On April 14, 2018, Rodrygo scored his first goal in Brazil's top football league. On June 3, he scored a hat-trick (three goals) and also helped set up another goal in a big 5–2 win against Vitória.
In 2018, Rodrygo changed his jersey number from 43 to 9. For the 2019 season, he switched again to jersey number 11, which was worn by Neymar before him.
Joining Real Madrid
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On June 15, 2018, Real Madrid agreed to buy Rodrygo from Santos. He joined Real Madrid in June 2019 and signed a contract until 2025. The transfer fee was reportedly €45 million.
On September 25, 2019, Rodrygo played his first game for Real Madrid's main team. He scored his first league goal against Osasuna in just one minute! On November 6, he scored his first hat-trick and also made an assist for the club. This happened in a 6–0 win against Galatasaray in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. He was 18 years and 301 days old, making him the second-youngest player to score a hat-trick in that competition. He was also the first player born in the 21st century to score in the Champions League. In his first season, he played 19 games and scored two goals as Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga title. On November 3, 2020, Rodrygo scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Inter Milan in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.
On April 12, 2022, Rodrygo came on as a substitute in a Champions League game against Chelsea. He scored a goal that sent the game into extra-time. Real Madrid then won and moved on to the semi-finals. On April 30, Rodrygo scored twice in a 4–0 win against Espanyol. This helped Real Madrid win their 35th La Liga title. On May 4, in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, Real Madrid was losing. Rodrygo scored two goals in just two minutes (between the 90th and 91st minutes) to tie the game! Real Madrid then won in extra-time and went to the final. They won the tournament, and Rodrygo became a fan favorite for his amazing comebacks.
On April 18, 2023, he scored two goals in a 2–0 win against Chelsea in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. This helped his team reach the semi-finals. On May 6, he scored two goals for Real Madrid in a 2–1 win over Osasuna in the 2023 Copa del Rey final. This was Real Madrid's 20th time winning that competition.
On November 2, 2023, Real Madrid announced that Rodrygo had extended his contract until June 30, 2028.
Rodrygo's International Career
On March 30, 2017, Rodrygo was called up to play for the Brazil under-17s. He scored his first goal in a tournament against Denmark. He also scored two more goals against Cameroon and the United States.
In November 2019, Rodrygo was called up for the first time to the Brazil senior team. This was for a game against their rivals Argentina. He played for the last 20 minutes in the 1–0 loss on November 15.
On November 7, 2022, Rodrygo was chosen to be part of the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In May 2024, Rodrygo was picked for Brazil’s team for the Copa América. He played a very important part in Brazil’s games, showing he could play in different attacking roles. His performances proved how important he is becoming for the national team.
Rodrygo's Style of Play
Rodrygo is seen as a very talented and promising young player. His playing style is often compared to his Brazilian teammate at Real Madrid, Vinícius Júnior. This is because they are both fast, have great technical skills, and attack directly.
Even though Rodrygo is not very big or strong, his low center of gravity helps him. Combined with his dribbling skills and quickness, he can change direction fast with the ball. This helps him get past opponents in one-on-one situations. People also praise his good decision-making, how he positions himself to attack, his finishing, and his creativity. He can hold the ball, create space or chances for his teammates, and score goals himself. He is also known for working hard and pressing opponents.
Rodrygo usually plays as a right-winger. However, he is a very flexible player and can play in many different positions. He has played on the left side and even as a striker or a free-roaming forward. In these roles, he can move into central areas or switch positions to link up with Vinícius on the other side of the field. Even though he is naturally right-footed, he doesn't usually play as an "inverted winger" on the left side, which is common for many wingers today.
Rodrygo’s ability to play in different roles has been very helpful for Real Madrid. His coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has used him as a winger, a second striker, and in central attacking positions. This shows he can fit many different team needs. In a 2024 interview, Rodrygo said he often just fills "blank spaces" on the field, showing he is a team player. He also mentioned he felt he deserved to be on the list for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award.
Rodrygo's Personal Life
Rodrygo and Pamella Cristina Costa welcomed twin sons in February 2022.
His father, Eric, was also a professional footballer. He played as a right-back in different leagues in Brazil.
Rodrygo is a Christian.
In February 2024, Rodrygo worked with the Juegaterapia Foundation and artist Titocustoms. They started a fundraising campaign to help children with cancer. They auctioned off special items like Nike sneakers, a jacket, a ball, and a painting. Rodrygo said that football helps them "amplify the values of sport" and "offer an opportunity to those people who need support."
Rodrygo’s father had predicted that he would become a footballer even before he was born. Rodrygo has one younger sister, Ana Julya, who was born in 2018.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2017 | Série A | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2018 | Série A | 35 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 58 | 12 | ||
| 2019 | Série A | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 5 | ||
| Total | 41 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | 80 | 17 | |||
| Real Madrid Castilla | 2019–20 | Segunda División B | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Real Madrid | 2019–20 | La Liga | 19 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7 | |
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 22 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 33 | 4 | — | 3 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 9 | ||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 34 | 9 | — | 6 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 57 | 19 | ||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 34 | 10 | — | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 17 | ||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 17 | 6 | — | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 27 | 11 | ||
| Total | 159 | 32 | — | 13 | 6 | 57 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 243 | 65 | |||
| Career total | 203 | 43 | 22 | 4 | 22 | 9 | 65 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 326 | 84 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | |
| Total | 31 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 February 2022 | Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | 4 |  Paraguay |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 17 June 2023 | RCDE Stadium, Barcelona, Spain | 14 |  Guinea |
2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 8 September 2023 | Estádio Mangueirão, Belém, Brazil | 15 |  Bolivia |
1–0 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 5 | 26 March 2024 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain | 22 |  Spain |
1–2 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 6 | 12 June 2024 | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, United States | 23 |  United States |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 6 September 2024 | Estádio Couto Pereira, Curitiba, Brazil | 28 |  Ecuador |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Rodrygo's Honours and Awards
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24
- Copa del Rey: 2022–23
- Supercopa de España: 2020, 2022, 2024
- UEFA Champions League: 2021–22, 2023–24
- UEFA Super Cup: 2022, 2024
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2022
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024
Individual Awards
- Campeonato Paulista Best Newcomer: 2018
- Goal.com NxGN: 2020
- IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) World Team: 2020, 2021
- La Liga U23 Player of the Month: November 2023
See also
In Spanish: Rodrygo Goes para niños
