Real Madrid 1 – 2 Man City: Guardiola hails Rodrygo

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed the exchange he had with Rodrygo after the Citizens’ 2-1 win at the Santiago-Bernabéu on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Present in Madrid for that victory, secured thanks to goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland, the Catalan coach made a point of praising the performance of the Brazilian forward, the only Madrid goalscorer of the evening.

At the end of the match, Guardiola said he had paid Rodrygo compliments, whom he considers a player of rare talent. “I went over to tell him: What a player you are… He’s really incredible”, Guardiola said, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazilian international is nevertheless going through a delicate spell under Xabi Alonso, struggling to find the net since the start of the season. Linked at one point with several Premier League clubs last summer, the 24-year-old forward ultimately stayed in Madrid.