Rodrygo loudly 'challenges' Yamal and Barcelona

In an interview with AS, the Brazilian striker Rodrygo declared that Real Madrid cannot afford to suffer defeats like those against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona if they aim to return to first place in La Liga.

Currently, Rodrygo is in Seoul preparing for two friendly matches with the Brazil national team. According to the schedule, Selecao will face South Korea and Japan on October 10 and 14 respectively. Afterwards, Rodrygo will return to Spain to join his club in preparing for upcoming challenges, including a showdown with their archrivals Barcelona.

In the interview with AS, Rodrygo emphasized that Real Madrid must not repeat the mistakes that led to the heavy loss against Atletico Madrid this La Liga season and the four defeats to Barcelona last season. According to Rodrygo, the comprehensive loss to Barca was humiliating and has caused him and his teammates to face intense criticism from the club’s fans ever since.

To be more specific, in round 7 of La Liga 2025/26, Real suffered a heavy 2-5 defeat to Atletico. Previously, in the 2024/25 season, the Royal Madrid team lost all four El Clasico matches against Barcelona (two in La Liga, one in the Spanish Super Cup final, and one in the Copa del Rey final), with an aggregate score of 7-16.

Rodrygo’s stance is very clear: “What happened against Atletico Madrid must never happen again. It was terrible and unacceptable. You can lose a match, but not in that manner.

Similarly, we cannot allow what happened against Barcelona last season to repeat this year. We have to beat Barcelona at all costs. The events in last season’s El Clasico matches were dreadful. Certainly, Real Madrid must defeat them in the upcoming game to prove who we are and show that the team is ready to reclaim what was lost this season.”

According to the schedule, Real Madrid will host Barcelona in round 10 of La Liga on October 26 at the Bernabeu. In the same interview, Rodrygo confirmed he will stay at Real Madrid for many more years. He accepted the fact that he often sits on the bench under coach Xabi Alonso but is always 100% ready whenever given the chance to play.

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