Real Madrid, once known for its Galacticos, is still a club full of stars, but many of them have become global names while at the club. In recent years the transfer strategy at the Santiago Bernabeu has shifted in favour of recruiting the most talented young players before they hit their peak, rather than just the best players in the world.
To their credit, they have managed to develop a number of them into top class players, with the likes of Fede Valverde, Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga making huge progress.
That would not be possible without a healthy dressing room and good leadership, which in the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and previously Karim Benzema, Los Blancos appear to have. During a recent interview with RMTV, carried by Marca, Rodrygo has explained that the Croatian played a key role in his development.
“I will always be very grateful to Modric, we have a very good relationship. At a time when I was not playing as much, he told me to continue working and training because my time was going to come. After that I got up, and trained harder every day. strong. Then my time came. I started playing, scoring goals and being important for my team.”
Meanwhile the player he is closest with is his Brazilian strike partner, Vinicius.
“We arrived here almost together, very young from Brazil. We have also made history together. We have already won a Champions League and all the possible titles. This shirt always motivates us to come train and play. Doing that with a friend is always special. I consider Vini a brother and we hope to continue growing together.”