Real Madrid striker Rodrygo goes has certainly been the middle child of the summer of Los Blancos, with the arrival of Kylian Mbappe taking the spotlight, and many tipping Rodrygo to be the one to fall out of the team as a result.
Yet Carlo Ancelotti certainly hasn't paid too much attention to it so far, starting Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Mbappe and Rodrygo in their opening two games. It was the latter who unlocked the RCD Mallorca defense with a brilliant strike on Sunday night, his only goal of the game.
This message on Rodrygo's WhatsApp channel is real. It was removed after some controversy with him.
It seems correct to me and I understand that he claims the team and especially himself after being left out of the trident; anyone feels the same way. @TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/RSZhejJ7q1
— Mario Cortegana (@MarioCortegana) August 19, 2024
At the end of Monday, a screenshot appeared of a message allegedly from the Real Madrid forward, saying that an “R” should be added to the acronym BMV which refers to Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius.
“Speak, people. The result yesterday was not the desired. In the League, every point can make the difference in the end. I am happy for the goal and the growth of the team.”
“Last week people were talking about the trio of Bellingham, Mbappe and Vini, but you have to add a… pic.twitter.com/BVWyeht5DO
— Football España (@footballespana_) August 20, 2024
The Athletic has since confirmed that this message was legitimate. It's hard not to see this as an explicit reference to Marca, which invented the term and spread it on its first cover on Friday morning last week.
The 23-year-old is being admired by Manchester City but has been at pains to make it clear he is not going anywhere. With Ancelotti points to a lack of attitude, commitment and balance like the flaws in their draw against Mallorca, however, the attacking quartet will surely be on alert, and dropping any of the other three seems almost unthinkable at this point.
