Prepared to be a star from an early age, Rodrygo reaches the first Champions League final

“From now on, we have to train even more because I need to be there next time.”

It was this sentence that Rodrygo said to his father Eric on July 6, 2018, when Belgium eliminated Brazil in the 2018 World Cup. According to Eric, that “maybe that was the day I saw him the saddest”.

The safety of the player, who was 17 at the time, still surprises his father at other times, especially the night before the second game of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. They chatted as usual, but Rodrygo said: “I’m going to score three goals against Manchester tomorrow”.

This Saturday (28), the Spanish team decides the continental title against Liverpool, at 4 pm, with live broadcast from SBT, TNT and HBO Max.

For the trust, Eric was happy. They decided to place a bet to see if that grandiose performance would come to fruition. The two late goals were miracles enough for the family, although a save by Ederson prevented the plan from becoming a reality.

“Rodrygo, with very little time as a professional, was sold to Real Madrid. We are talking about a 17-year-old boy who was one day going to school and the next being sold to the biggest club in the world. It was a very, very against City, it was an incredible night, unforgettable, and it’s great to see him evolving every day”, says Eric in an interview with Sheet.

Rodrygo’s father was the one who brought football into his son’s life. They shared their experiences together, as the boy was always present at concentrations, training, trips, lectures, games…

“My experience as a player helped him mainly because I played in smaller clubs and Rodrygo started from an early age to understand what the reality of football is. He lives, of course, in the elite, but he also lived with me in the smaller teams, from the interior of São Paulo. He had all this in essence. I see that he was more prepared than the other boys because he was with me on a daily basis”, he added.

Eric’s routine also influenced his son’s development to become an athlete. His physical trainer when he was a player also started training the now Real Madrid star when he was 13 years old. Today, there is a whole structure for maximizing results, as was seen at the end of this season.

Marcel Duarte works exclusively with Rodrygo and says that between the two there is a ‘long relationship of respect and trust’. Due to constant communication with the Spanish team, preparation involves all areas of your life, such as food and rest.

“After this communication and analysis together [com o Real Madrid], I can make the best decision on the actions, since we have an established schedule, be it recovery, training, food and rest, both physical and mental. After analyzing the information on how much you trained at the club or played, how your sleep was and other data, we will adjust the details with your chef, your family and team to decide your best routine, no longer just a coach and becoming your performance manager”, explains Marcel.

He adds that, through Rodrygo’s intelligence, new knowledge is absorbed quickly. As a young athlete, he received greater care within Real Madrid, which has become notorious for the renewal of its great names.

Rodrygo’s manager, Nick Arcuri, says that the deal with Real Madrid was based precisely on this possibility of growth. As he only transferred to the European club a year after being bought from Santos, there was time to plan an entire support structure, which involved a team in Spain, captained by Arcuri and his family.

“He just had to think about playing football and developing the potential that we knew he had and that the club believed in. After arriving in Madrid, with all the structure we know, Rodrygo had the support to gain his space little by little, since he arrived very young. They have this patience and develop the player day by day, because they believe in the potential and know that they could yield what they are yielding”, says Arcuri.

The player’s career planning gained layers as the years went by, but everything went fast, with his professional debut practically concomitant with the transfer to Spain. The call-ups for the Brazilian national team and the chance to play in the World Cup also sweetened the way.

“We know that during maturity, a lot can happen. Together with his family, we tried to give him all the support so that he could grow and this happened little by little, but at the same time very quickly. Today he is one of the main young athletes in the world. . The environment needs to be very adjusted so that the player can perform at his best and we try to do that at each stage of each one’s career and according to the requirements.”

In this edition of the Champions League, Rodrygo played 10 games, scored five goals (all from inside the penalty area) and distributed two assists. According to the official statistics of the competition, he also has an efficiency of 85% in the passes.