Twice in the space of four days, Real Madrid put on a show for their fans at the Bernabéu. After defeating Braga 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, Los Blancos then thrashed Valencia CF 5-1 in LALIGA EA SPORTS on Saturday, and the star performers both times were Vini Jr. and Rodrygo.
The two Brazilians had renewed their contracts the previous week, with Vini Jr. signing until 2027 and Rodrygo until 2028, before they each proved exactly why they are the future of Real Madrid. Of the eight goals the team scored across the Braga and Valencia CF games, seven of them were either scored by or assisted by one of the young forwards. Plus, three of the goals involved assists to each other.
In the Champions League contest, it was Rodrygo who cut the ball back for Brahim Díaz to open the scoring, before Vini Jr. doubled the lead in the second half and then set up Rodrygo for the third. Those goals meant Vini Jr. and Rodrygo moved on to 17 goals apiece in the Champions League, becoming Real Madrid's highest Brazilian goalscorers in the competition despite being just 23 and 22 years old, respectively.
When Los Che came to visit, Toni Kroos assisted Dani Carvajal for an early opener, but it was all about the skill of the Brazilians after that. Vini Jr. scored either side of half-time and was assisted by his compatriot both times, before Rodrygo added two more to round off the big win. With his two assists and two goals, Rodrygo became the first player to be directly involved in four goals in the 2023/24 LALIGA EA SPORTS season.
Speaking after the Valencia CF win, Carlo Ancelotti said of the duo: “They are back to their best. They just needed time to express their best qualities again. In the last two games they've done very well, combining well, looking for space.... They're back."
Some might wonder what they had to bounce back from, but the truth is that there were doubts about this strike partnership just a couple of weeks ago. This is the first season without Karim Benzema since Vini Jr. and Rodrygo have been at the club and Real Madrid are getting to grips with a new system, one in which Jude Bellingham has been thriving but in which the two Brazilians hadn't scored as many goals as some expected.
Ancelotti had maintained that he was happy with the overall play of the two young forwards and that the goals would come. “With their quality, they're going to score goals throughout the season, there's no doubt about that. They'll score again, no problem. We don't need to be impatient in this sense." The faith that the coach placed in the duo has now paid off, and both players appreciate that trust. When Rodrygo scored against Braga, he even ran over to the Italian to celebrate with him on the sidelines.
Even if it took some time for the pair to perfect their chemistry in Real Madrid's new 4-4-2 system, they were always going to work it out. Despite their young ages, these two footballers have played 131 times together already between Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, spending almost 7,000 minutes on the pitch together. In the very first of their competitive games together, a 1-1 draw for the Brazil U-20s in 2018, Vini Jr. assisted a Rodrygo goal. Then, against Valencia CF in their 131st match, Rodrygo set up two Vinícius goals.
These two players clearly have a special bond and, having both been called up by Brazil for the Seleção's November World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina, they can continue perfecting their chemistry during the international break, ready to hit the round running again when LALIGA EA SPORTS returns.
