Ancelotti reveals what he said to Rodrygo and explains his mysterious reference to him after Vinicius’ goal against Villarreal
It was Vinicius who made it 2-1 and put Real Madrid back in the match against Villarreal, after which Carlo Ancelotti turned to the bench to say something to Rodrygo. The cameras captured that moment when the Real Madrid coach seemed to criticize the Brazilian striker for some reason.
Rodrygo was substituted shortly after the start of the second half. Since his team was not able to change the outcome of the match, Ancelotti removed Toni Kroos and Rodrigo from the field.
Despite trailing 2-0 in the score, the two quietly left the field to make way for Asensio and Ceballos. Rodrigo’s face reflected how disgusted he was at the switch.
But Ancelotti must have noticed something he didn’t like when he made the switch. That is why, when Vinicius scored the first goal, after a pass from Ceballos, his reaction was to look for Rodrygo to point his finger at him and say a few words to him.
Olha só: imagens da transmissão do #RealMadrid vs Villarreal na TVE mostram como Carlo Ancelotti parece estar chamando a atenção de Rodrygo com o dedo em riste, após o jogador brasileiro ter sido substituído. 👀🗣️🔥 #CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/RcKpwB9ma8
— Fernando Kallás 🇧🇷🇪🇸🇱🇧 (@fernandokallas) January 19, 2023
So far this season, as expected, Rodrygo is one of the most notable non-starters because Ancelotti favors Valverde. In the Villarreal match, Rodrigo started and was replaced by Asensio, but after he left, the score turned from 2-0 to 2-2 in less than a quarter of an hour.
Ancelotti’s interpretation of what happened with Rodrygo
Ancelotti said in the press conference after the match: “I replaced Rodrigo because he was a little tired and I preferred not to risk him. He didn’t greet me while switching because I think he forgot, I don’t think it was for a particular reason. So I went and told him not to forget to say hi to me when he was substituted.
Source: Marca
