Rodrygo has been subject to a lot of transfer interest this summer.
The Brazilian has been at Real Madrid for six years now, playing 270 times across all competitions. There was a lot of promise when the talented youngster made the move from boyhood club Santos.
He’s had his moments, but Rodrygo hasn’t really nailed down a consistent role in the Real Madrid starting XI. The Brazilian has played across the front line, been a super sub and a chaotic starter.
But now Rodrygo has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid, with the hope of finding that consistent role.
So, how has his game changed over the past five seasons?
Goals
Although Rodrygo is a winger, the Brazilian is known most for his goal threat. We all remember his Champions League hat-trick against Galatasaray. That came in 2019-20, which is just before our five-season coverage. But Rodrygo’s run from 2020-21 is interesting.
The Brazilian didn’t reach 1,000 minutes in the league in 2020-21. But while a disparity in minutes played does sometimes skew per 90 minute metrics, it doesn’t here. The 2020-21 season was his worst of the five in question as Rodrygo struggled to make the most of his limited time on the pitch.
He averaged 1.4 shots (excluding blocks) per 90, exactly half of the 2.8 he managed in 2022-23 — his best campaign. That was one of the two seasons in which Rodrygo had significant minutes as a striker. The other season was 2023-24, when Rodrygo averaged 2.6 shots per 90. And you can see the drop off to 2024-25 (1.8 shots per 90) when Rodrygo spent more time on the wing again.
Unsurprisingly, Rodrygo had his best scoring seasons when he was playing through the middle, with 0.4 goals per 90 in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. Those were also his best seasons for shots on target per 90 at 1.4 in 2023-24 and 1.3 in 2022-23.
But, the frequency of the shots and goals didn’t mean good accuracy. Rodrygo’s best shot accuracy came in 2021-22, when he hit the target with 55.56% of his shots (excluding blocks). His worst of the past five seasons was in 2020-21 (33.33%). Last season was Rodrygo’s best for conversion rate, scoring with 15.79% of his shots. Again, 2020-21 was the worst. But you can see the general improvement from that campaign.
Creativity
What about the other side of the attacking game? Rodrygo actually had his best creative campaign last season, returning to the wing after two years up front.
The Brazilian was more involved on the ball, completing 40.4 open-play passes per 90 — up from 31.7 the previous season. Interestingly, though, his second-best campaign did come when Rodrygo spent time as a striker in 2022-23. Rodrygo’s lowest season for open-play pass completion came in 2020-21 with 29.8, though game state as a substitute will have played a part.
That season was his best for assists, at 0.6 per 90 — though the lack of minutes will be a factor. Rodrygo has generally averaged around 0.3 assists per 90 each season, with his second-best campaign coming in 2022-23 at 0.4. But his best campaign for chance creation was last season, with 2.3 chances created per 90. It’s the only season in the past five in which Rodrygo has broken the 2.0 mark.
He also broke the 3.0 mark for crosses attempted per 90 with 3.8, up from 1.3 the previous season. But 2023-24 was his best for crossing accuracy at 28.12%, of course aided by the fewer attempts. Last season was his third-best campaign, only just trailing 2022-23. But you can see a general increase in his cross success from the first two seasons featured.
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Dribbling
When profiling wingers, you’re naturally going to look at their take-ons. And Rodrygo has some interesting stats across the past five seasons.
The Brazilian’s best season for completed take-ons came in 2022-23, when he split his time between the wing and central. Rodrygo averaged 3.1 completed take-ons per 90, with 54.36% success rate. This dropped slightly to 2.3 completed take-ons per 90 in 2023-24, with 46.88% success rate.
Last season, Rodrygo kept his completed take-ons at an average of 2.3 per 90, but his success rate jumped up slightly to 51.58%. And you can see the general improvement from the first two seasons. The 2022-23 campaign really saw Rodrygo start to find his feet as a first-team regular, working on all aspects of his game.
The 2022-23 campaign also saw Rodrygo win his second-most fouls in a season over the past five years at 1.9 per 90. His most was in 2020-21, with 2.2 fouls won per 90. A lot of late fouls would have helped this number. Bizarrely, Rodrygo averaged 1.8 fouls won per 90 in the other three campaigns.
Last season did see Rodrygo have the best success in his ground duels with 56.02% won. Again, you can see the improvement from the first two seasons, with Rodrygo hitting 50%+ in each of the past three campaigns.
What’s next for Rodrygo?
As we’ve mentioned a few times, you can see the improvement in Rodrygo’s game. He has certainly found himself across the past three seasons, even without a consistent role in the team.
And that’s what has to come next. Whether it’s at Real Madrid or elsewhere, Rodrygo needs a consistent run in a team in one position. It’s no use having him playing in all three positions in an attack. That’s not to say you can’t use him across all three positions. But one needs to be focused on — the other two can be used sparingly when needed.