Coming into the 2024/25 LaLiga season, all anyone could do was talk about Kylian Mbappe and how he would help Real Madrid become even more dominant after already winning the league and Champions League last season.
If there were any pessimistic discussions, then they were moreso about how Mbappe would co-exist with the current squad, principally with Ballon d’Or favorite Vinicius Junior, given both players preferentially occupy the left side of the attack as right-footed forwards with an eye for goals.
The nickname “BMV” started floating around the Spanish press, as an homage to the “BBC” nickname previously given to the Real Madrid attacking trident of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
So the BMV stood for Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior, even though Bellingham is a midfielder and would not be one of the starters in the attacking trio itself.
That starter is another world-class player at his best on the left wing, but he has unselfishly been the forward on the right side of the attack, already taking a backseat to accommodate Vinicius Jr. at his best position on the left.
Rodrygo Goes didn’t take kindly to that snub from the media, telling the media to add the letter “R”. Predictably, the childish imbeciles of the Spanish media got so offended that a player would dare set them straight that they invented a controversy about Rodrygo being an ungrateful problem – which Carlo Ancelotti obviously nipped in the bud.
And so how did Rodrygo respond? By being Real Madrid’s actual best attacking player through the first four games of the season, often the lone bright spot as Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. grabbed more media headlines for struggling to play to their Ballon d’Or best.
With Jude Bellingham injured and coming off a poor 1-1 draw with Las Palmas, the onus was on Real Madrid to close the weekend of LaLiga action with a win against a very good Real Betis side.
Real Madrid did so with another trademark second half flurry, dispatching of the Verdiblancos 2-0. And while the mainstream media threw their plaudits at Mbappe for scoring two goals, the reality is that, once again, Rodrygo Goes was Real’s best forward.
The Brazilian superstar created five chances, completed three successful dribbles, drew two fouls, won two tackles, and even blocked a shot in an excellent all-around performance.
It was Rodrygo’s brave dribble through the middle that helped create the opener, with Fede Valverde – the team’s other actual best performer of the night – sliding a brilliant backheel for Mbappe that not even the up-and-down finisher could flub.
Rodrygo is, once again, getting less praise than his more hyped teammates, but for a guy sacrificing his best years on the right wing in a position that does not favor him scoring goals, he sure as hell is playing at a high level.
You’d think the average fan would come around and realize that Rodrygo is on par with all the other players on Real Madrid, but I guess scoring a historic brace in a Champions League semifinal to bring your team back from the dead doesn’t matter as much as it used to.
