'Ancelotti saw I had real problems' - Rodrygo opens up about last season problems

At 24, Rodrygo Goes is clear that he still has a long career ahead of him at Real Madrid. The Brazilian says he never doubted his future at the club, despite all the rumours that circulated in the summer about a possible departure. He knows it hasn't been an easy road, especially in recent months, but he is determined to fight to regain a prominent status at the 'Merengue' club. He made this clear in his latest interview with 'AS'.

His path to Real Madrid took a drastic turn when he had already agreed a deal with Barca before leaving Santos. "In Brazil, I'm a Santos fan, but I've always liked Real Madrid since I was a kid. It was my dream. Before signing, I already had everything done with Barca, it's true. But my father told me that Real Madrid had called us and that we had to choose. For me it was very easy, I knew what I wanted and what my dream was. And here I am," he recalls.

The 14th Champions League title marked his career: "The tie with PSG was key. In the first leg, in Paris, we played very badly and lost 1-0 with a goal from Kylian at the end. The 1-0 in our heads was as if we were already eliminated. The return trip was very tense, but during the week confidence grew and the atmosphere in training improved. We clung to the Bernabeu and we believed. And even though Kylian scored the first goal again. In the second leg, the madness with Karim's hat trick".

He had a very significant mental dip last season, in 2024-25, as he himself admits. "The truth is that it was a difficult time on a personal level. I went a long time without talking to people, I didn't know what was going on. I wasn't well physically or mentally. Carlo -Ancelotti- helped me a lot. He saw that I wasn't well, that I wasn't fit to play. He saw that I had real problems. He understood and told me 'you stay here, don't worry, you're not fit to play now'. I thanked him and asked him to play, but he knew that he had to recover the person before the footballer. The important thing was to be right in the head. It was a difficult moment in my life, but now I've overcome it. Now I only feel joy, I'm happy, motivated to have a great season," he revealed.

He has also forgotten the rumours of the past transfer window: "The same thing happens to me every summer. Every week I was at a different team if I paid attention to what was published. Of course there are always offers, I'm not going to lie. But I always made it clear to the club that I want to continue to be successful here. I have always said that I will be here until Real Madrid want me to be. If one day they tell me 'Rodry, find yourself a team', I'll say 'okay'. That hasn't happened. The club has always said that they are counting on me".

Although he knows what his favourite position is, he doesn't make it difficult for Xabi. "Everyone knows that I want to play on the left and that I am much better on that wing, but I am always available to the team to play on the right or as a number nine, that's what I told the coach. The truth is that he is only putting me on the left and I like the amount of minutes I am playing. I'm doing well although, logically, I want to play more. I'm in a process of evolution and I'm getting better and better and I feel happy," he concluded.