If you’re willing to jump on a flight and travel 6,000 to watch a potential transfer target in the flesh, that usually means you have more than a passing interest.
“When Rodrygo went to sign his first professional contract with Santos, aged 16, a Liverpool director called me saying that Klopp already knew the player, had seen the material, and had already come to see Rodrygo personally,” Nick Accuri, the winger’s agent, told Jorge Nicola in April 2020.
“He had gone on YouTube, searched ‘talents from Brazil’, and Rodrygo had appeared. He came to Brazil, and Klopp liked him.
“They contacted me. The Liverpool director (most likely Michael Edwards) wanted him to be his first signing,” Acuri adds.
“I went to England and sat in London – Liverpool have an office in London. I brought the proposal to Modesto, then president of Santos. Modesto didn’t accept.
“It turned out that Santos didn’t want to sell Rodrygo and instead made the first professional contract. But it was Rodrygo’s first official proposal, he was 16 and it was Liverpool.”
Rodrygo’s former Santos coach – the one-time Manchester City midfielder Elano – corroborates Acuri’s claims.
“There was a period when there was very serious interest from Liverpool,” Elano told ESPN back in 2019.
Real Madrid’s Champions League hero
Once Rodrgyo turned 17, he would finally put pen to paper with a European giant. But his destination was to be Madrid, rather than Merseyside.
Shortly after the eyebrow-raising addition of a 16-year-old Vinicius Junior, Real obviously saw enough in Rodrygo to justify a £38 million investment.
And the now-21-year-old Brazil international went some way to re-paying at investment at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodrygo is not exactly one of the first names on Carlo Ancelotti’s team-sheet. In fact, while Vinicius continues to go from strength to strength, his fellow Brazilian has plateaued somewhat in the Spanish capital.
But nights like Tuesday are made for Rodrygo. They are his stage. It was you-know-who who scored the 80th minute winner against Inter Milan in November 2020. All three of his goals this season have come in the Champions League, including another decisive strike against the Serie A holders. And, true to form, it was Rodrygo who turned last night’s thrilling quarter-final clash with Chelsea on it’s head.
Don’t let the majesty of Luka Modric’s assist distract you from what was one of the finest finishes you will see in the Champions League this season. Exquisite in it’s construction and it’s execution, Rodrygo’s fabulous first-time volley was one any of the legendary forwards in Real Madrid’s storied history would have been proud of.
With Bayern Munich out, with holders Chelsea vanquished too, Liverpool may the biggest obstacle standing in Real’s way of yet another European crown. Should the men from Merseyside meet the men from Madrid in Saint-Denis on May 28th, expect Rodrygo to have a major part to play against the club who tried to sign him all those years ago.
If Divock Origi is Liverpool’s man for the big occasion, then Rodrygo occupies that role for Real Madrid.
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