Real Madrid's Rodrygo on Manchester City playoff first leg
10/02
uefa24
10/02
uefa24
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening, welcome. We will begin now with a press conference. Just remember we do one
00:19question for intervention, and you'll also have a question for me to present. Before
00:27you identify, please identify with your name and your organisation.
00:31Hi, Rodrigo. Tomorrow, for the fourth consecutive season, Manchester City and Real Madrid face
00:40each other in a knockout tie in the Champions League. You know exactly the commitment that
00:46you need to have, and how difficult is this game, and how do you see the game tomorrow?
00:51Well, it's the same difficulty as always when you play against them. First and foremost,
00:57we play the first game here, so there's lots of pressure on our players. We know it's going
01:03to be difficult, as always, but I think we need to have the mentality that we had last
01:09season. That will be key to getting a good result here.
01:13Hi, Rodrigo. You mentioned last season's game. Madrid managed to go through, but they
01:20had to suffer a lot. They had very little ball, they had to run a lot. Are you ready
01:26for a game to be repeated in that same way against City? Are there options to dominate
01:34the possession and have more of the ball?
01:37I don't think it was just us. I think all of the teams who come here to play, they suffer.
01:43Because of the characteristics and the quality of their team, they always have a bit more
01:48of the goal. That could happen tomorrow. But also, given our quality, we can have a little
01:53bit more of the ball. We always try to do what the manager tells us to do in terms of
02:00attacking and defending, and I'm ready for whatever comes.
02:02The manager said that after the derby, in the press conference, he spoke to the four
02:12attacking players to have more commitment, to have more solidarity together in terms
02:19of a collective commitment. Do you believe that the four that play up front, if you work
02:24as a team, it's easier for the team to win?
02:26Yes, of course. The manager spoke to us and we've seen the importance that we have in
02:32terms of the team to be able to make the difference. So I think if those playing behind
02:39us see that we're running well, we're defending well, I think that's contagious. So he spoke
02:45to us and in the second half, I think we were much better in that derby game. And I hope
02:52and I believe that that's the key for us to play in the remainder of the season.
02:56You've had really important days at Real Madrid as a player, against Espanyol in the
03:06league when you scored two, and then you scored a hat-trick in the Champions League against
03:14Galatasaray, and also the brace you got in the Cup as well, and also when you scored
03:23those two goals against City in the great comeback. What has been the most important
03:27day that you can remember? And I think as musicians, do you think like musicians that
03:34you're still to compose your best song, and that could be tomorrow?
03:40Well, I was speaking maybe a couple of days, I was speaking to Federico Valverde,
03:46and we were watching that game again when I scored those two goals. And I asked him,
03:53if we'll ever go and have an emotion like that in our lives. It'll be very difficult
03:58because what happened in that game, without doubt, was the most special night of my career.
04:03I don't know if it will happen again, I hope so. Even better night, but definitely that
04:10was the best moment in my career.
04:14You've just thought about the game that you played against City when you scored two,
04:19and also in the European Cup, in the Champions League final. But perhaps you were the most
04:27informed player in the last few weeks. How much blame does Angelotti have for what the
04:34team are going through in terms of how well you're playing? How important is he for you?
04:38Yes, he always talks to me and asks me, I always say the same, it's a pleasure working
04:43alongside him because he helps me always. He always tries to do something to make me
04:49better so that I can help the team. And we work together all the time, I always work
04:54to try and get my best version on the field. I don't stop working because that's the
05:01secret. And of course, the managers help me a great deal in that respect.
05:05This year, and during the last few months, you've come to a stadium like Manchester
05:13City. We know that many teams were interested in you. How important is this game for you
05:20and how do you manage all these offers from Saudi Arabia, etc., in terms of how you're
05:26playing and your best moments at Real Madrid?
05:28In terms of offers, I don't really know too much about them. I think that's more
05:33about my father, who's my agent, and the club, if they know anything about it, I don't
05:37know. I'm very grateful that there's interest from other clubs in me, but I'm really
05:43happy here, as I always say, and I've been here for a long time. And tomorrow is another
05:49game, it's a special game, as always. I always say to play with this shirt on your
05:53back in Champions League is very special and I think tomorrow will be no different.
05:57I can't remember exactly what game it was, but I know once you played here on the left,
06:08I don't know if... Have you thought about a different plan? Has the manager thought
06:12about a different plan to play you in a different part of the pitch, with regard to how you
06:16played recently? That was last season, I think. It was the best thing that we could do in
06:22that game, at that moment. Now is a different moment, another story, it's a different team
06:29we're facing. That's more of a question for the manager, and he will give you a better
06:33answer. Hi, Rodrigo. In the last few games, we've seen you play more on the left because
06:42of the absences of Vinicius, etc. You've scored many goals, you've provided many assists.
06:49What difference is there when you play on the left, and how can you convince him to
06:53put you on that left-hand side? I just have to continue doing my work, whether that's
06:59on the left or the right-hand side of the pitch. We know that when I was a kid, I always
07:05played on the left, so it's normal for things to come out a bit better when I play on that
07:10side. But I also enjoy playing on the left because I can help the team. And as you've
07:17asked, I don't have to do anything, I just have to keep doing my work, continue helping
07:21the team, and the manager knows very well where he needs to put me. Seven goals, four
07:31assists in the last as many games. It's almost impossible when you're playing to have those
07:38stats when you're playing along Mbappe and Vinicius. I'm really happy. My manager's a
07:45great manager in terms of footballing history. It's very difficult to play against teams
07:51that Pep Guardiola manages, and we hope things go well for Real Madrid tomorrow.
07:56Last two questions.
08:05You're a bad luck charm for Manchester City because you've been a decisive player when
08:12you played in the tie against City last time. I don't know if you feel that you can be decisive
08:18against this team, and how do you feel right now seeing that the game is only 24 hours away?
08:26Do I respond in Portuguese or Spanish?
08:30Well, to be honest, it's an opponent. I've scored a number of goals against them recently,
08:39and I've had happy moments against them. I've had not-so-happy moments against them. It's
08:44difficult to play against them. Now we're in a good moment, and I feel like I'm in a good
08:50moment and I can be decisive. But I try to be decisive in every game, not just against
08:55Manchester City, because the competition is not just against them. There are many difficult
09:02games that you face, and to be facing one of the best teams in the world, of course,
09:10I need to be decisive in every game.
09:15I'd like to ask you about the fact that you're a bad luck charm for Manchester City.
09:21Is it an opponent that you like to play against most, given all the success you've had in recent
09:26years, always scoring goals and participating in games? No, it's not what I most like. It's
09:33not the team I like playing against the most, because the way that they play makes it very
09:38difficult for you. So I don't think anybody likes to play against them. I think they don't
09:45necessarily like to play against us, but it's true that I've been happy playing against them,
09:49and I hope I'm happy tomorrow, even more happy when I play against them tomorrow.