Real striker wants to suppress Man City's spirit

Spain's Rodrygo wants Real fans to wear the same shirt in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Man City on April 9.

"We want the stadium to be completely white," Rodrygo said after Real Madrid beat Bilbao 2-0 in La Liga on the evening of March 31. "When we host Man City, everyone will wear white."

White is the traditional color of Real. According to Rodrygo, the Bernabeu stadium being dyed all white can suppress the spirit of Man City, at the same time cheering for him and his teammates.

Rodrygo celebrates scoring in Real's 2-0 win over Bilbao in round 30 of La Liga on the evening of March 31 at Bernabeu Stadium. Photo: Reuters — Rodrygo celebrates scoring in Real's 2-0 win over Bilbao in round 30 of La Liga on the evening of March 31 at Bernabeu Stadium. Photo: *Reuters*

Real will host the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on April 9. The return leg will be played at the Etihad Stadium a week later. Last season, in the first leg of their semi-final at home, Real could only draw 1-1 with Man City. In the return leg, they were eliminated in a bitter 0-4 loss.

A season earlier, Real had lost 3-4 in the first leg of the semi-final at the Etihad, but won 3-1 in the second leg - where Rodrygo scored two crucial goals in the 90th and 90+1 minutes.

In the recent win over Bilbao, Rodrygo once again scored a double, when he curled the ball outside the box in the 8th minute and shot into the near corner in the 73rd minute. The 23-year-old striker shone brightly when playing as a left winger in place of teammate Vininius.

In terms of squad depth, having Rodrygo and Vinicius play well on the left flank could be good news, but problems could arise if Kylian Mbappe joins Real next season.

"It's a matter for the coach next season," Rodrygo said of the prospect of competing with left-back specialist Mbappe. "We're just thinking about finishing the season well and winning as many titles as possible."

Rodrygo joined Real in 2019 for $50 million. The 23-year-old has scored 52 goals in 207 games for the Bernabeu, including 15 this season. He is likely to surpass his 19 goals last season.

Thanh Quy (according to Marca )

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