Barcelona overlooked Real Madrid wonderkid Alvaro Rodriguez

Suraj Radia

• 27 Feb 2023 12:06 CST
• 2 min read

Alvaro Rodriguez became the latest player to write his name into Real Madrid folklore when the youngster came off the bench to secure a point against Atletico but the teenager could have easily been turning out for rivals Barcelona instead had things gone differently.

Rodriguez made his debut in Real’s previous La Liga game against Osasuna, grabbing an assist and having another ruled out for offside in just three minutes of game time.

The 18-year-old was rewarded for his cameo by a place on the bench in Real’s Champions League game against Liverpool before being brought on for the last 13 minutes against Atletico Madrid.

PROFILE: Everything you need to know about Alvaro Rodriguez

And the giant striker repaid Carlo Ancelotti’s faith by nodding in a late goal to give Real a 1-1 draw against their local rivals, however SPORT have revealed that Rodriguez was being watched by Barcelona before joining Madrid in 2020.

Rodriguez came through the academy at Spanish side Girona, a club who are affiliated with Barca but, despite being alerted about the 6 foot 4 teenager, Madrid swept in and beat their rivals to the punch.

Having just returned from the under-20 Copa Sudamericana, where he was the tournament’s second-top scorer for Uruguay, Rodriguez is expected to continue to provide cover for Karim Benzema for the rest of the season after his impressive displays so far.

How did Real beat Barca to the signing of Rodriguez?

SPORT claim that Barca had initially been monitoring Rodriguez due to his large stature compared to most players in his age range, as well as his ‘evolution’ during the 2019/20 season for Girona’s youth team.

Although there had been doubts over his footwork and coordination due to his imposing frame, Rodriguez continued to improve and big clubs ‘fluttered’ for his signature.

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Rodriguez is a boyhood Real fan along with his father, Coquito, who was a former Uruguay international and he turned down a professional contract from Girona to join Los Blancos.

Having scored nine goals in 33 games for the club’s Juvenil sides, Rodriguez was fast-tracked into the first team and the youngster is likely to be groomed as a natural successor to Benzema going forward.