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What's the story?
According to the Spanish media outlet, Marca, Real Madrid managed to sign Brazilian wunderkind, Rodrygo Goes, in just 20 minutes despite huge interest from Barcelona, PSG, and Juventus.
In case you didn't know...
Rodrygo will arrive at Real Madrid in the summer after the club signed the player last summer for €45 million. Los Blancos' hierarchy got their hands on Rodrygo after they completed the deal to sign another prodigy, Vinicius Junior.
The highly-rated Brazilian has proven decisive for Santos and garnered wide interest from European heavyweights after his performance for Jorge Sampaoli's side.
The 18-year-old is known for his ability to dismantle opponents' defence with his dribbling skills on the flanks. Rodrygo is more versatile, although his preferred position is the left flank, and arguably he is a better scorer than Vinicius Junior.
When asked about his signing in an interview, Rodrygo said:
"I didn't know about what was going on around him. I read about it, I listened to things, but I was just concentrated on playing football and nothing else. And then, when Real Madrid told me they were interested, I didn't think twice. I said: I have to sign [for them]."
"It was like a dream; I've watched Madrid since I was small and I've always had this desire to wear the shirt one day."
The heart of the matter
According to reports, Barcelona were favourites to land the Brazilian prodigy amid interest from Juventus and PSG, but a close source to the player made quick moves to connect Santos' president with Florentino Perez about Rodrygo.
The Los Blancos president was attending a wedding ceremony when he received the call about Rodrygo and the terms were agreed in just 20 minutes. Rodrygo himself preferred a move to the Spanish capital, as it was his childhood desire. Moreover, Santos had no intentions of doing business with Barcelona after the Neymar transfer saga.
What's next?
Rodrygo Goes will feature for Real Madrid next season, but it remains to be seen how many minutes the player gets on the pitch on his first season at the club.
