Real Madrid star Rodrygo doesn’t want to play for the club again and asked not to do so against bitter rival FC Barcelona in El Clasico at the weekend amid a rift with some of his teammates according to Radio MARCA, which cited anonymous sources.
The Santos academy product was once a Madrid hero for his important goals in the Champions League, which saw him lift the fabled big-eared trophy in 2022 and 2024.
This season, however, he has fallen by the wayside and way down Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order thanks to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, which has reportedly had something do with his rebellion at the Bernabeu and a waning desire to don the iconic Los Blancos shirt.
Just a fortnight ago, there was increased talk that Rodrygo wants to leave his club since 2019, with Manchester City in the Premier League a commonly-touted next destination.
Last term, as Madrid embarked on its quest to sealing a 15th UCL crown at Wembley where it beat Borussia Dortmund, Rodrygo was criticized by Madrid fans for appearing to praise Pep Guardiola’s side and demonstrating something of an inferiority complex on the brink of a quarterfinal clash in the competition between the two continental behemoths.
A year later, the situation is far more serious as Rodrygo is reportedly not only considering leaving but also feels as though he never wants to play again for the probably soon-to-be-dethroned Spanish champions, who have been swept up by a newfound domestic dominance from arch nemesis FC Barcelona in 2024/2025.
Rodrygo reportedly “feels displaced" in the capital because of the “media explosion” of Jude Bellingham and arrival of Mbappe, “which has generated a rift with Vinicius”.
At the weekend, Rodrygo played no part in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Barca in El Clasico, and the extent to which he finds himself out of the picture was no better demonstrated by the way that Arda Guler started in his place on the right wing and youngster Victor Munoz came on at the death in Montjuic to replace the Turk.
June 1 onwards by outlets such as El Chiringuito, while the CBF has already revealed Ancelotti will lead the Br azil national team, Xabi Alonso has his work cut out for him when taking over the reins.
As well as stopping Barca in its tracks, he must strike harmony between an out-of-form Vinicius and Mbappe while Rodrygo is perhaps moved on by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez.