Real Madrid's Rodrygo on Manchester City playoff first leg

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Real Madrid's Rodrygo on Manchester City playoff first leg  10/02  uefa24

Transcript

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.

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