The big guns weren’t on the scoresheet as Real Madrid won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on April 18. Vinicius Jr. lost two prime opportunities. Karim Benzema missed with one attempt and connected with another. Rodrygo emerged as the hero, scoring twice at the bridge to advance Los Blancos to yet another European semifinal.
But this idea is far from novel. For a while now, Rodrygo has been performing at his peak level for Madrid in Europe. Despite playing significantly fewer minutes, the Brazilian has 15 goals since the 2019–20 season, second only to Karim Benzema in Madrid’s continental scoring rankings. To start the productive 2021–22 season, he scored goals twice against Manchester City, three times against Chelsea, and once against Inter.