By TOM SANDERSON
Published: 12:55 EST, 11 December 2025 | Updated: 12:55 EST, 11 December 2025
Pep Guardiola heaped praise on 'very, very good' Real Madrid goalscorer and Manchester City target Rodrygo, after the Brazilian scored in the first half of yet another dramatic Champions League clash between the two European titans on Wednesday.
Given a rare start under Xabi Alonso at the Bernabeu thanks to Kylian Mbappe's left knee troubles, Rodrygo broke his 32-game drought without a goal - an all-time record for a Los Blancos attacker - by first lurking behind Nico O'Reilly on the counterattack.
Jude Bellingham laid the ball off to the Brazilian on the edge of the box, before Rodrygo smashed his effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma approaching the half hour mark as O'Reilly failed to close the number 11 down.
That proved to be the only goal of the night for the hosts, however. Making up for his lapse in concentration, O'Reilly equalised less than 10 minutes later ahead of Erling Haaland converting a penalty on the stroke of the interval.
The 2-1 defeat resulted in back-to-back losses for Madrid for the first time this season following Sunday's 2-0 home humbling at the hands of Celta Vigo.
And while the pressure grows on Alonso, goalscorer Rodrygo finished the evening with a monkey off his back and compliments from Guardiola.
Rodrygo broke his 32-game Real Madrid goal drought by scoring against Manchester City
Pep Guardiola praised Rodrygo to Spanish broadcaster Movistar, calling him 'very, very good'
'I told Rodrygo how good he is,' the Catalan revealed to Spanish broadcaster Movistar post-match.
'He's a player from another... this boy is a player from another level. I'm glad he's back from injury. He's very, very good.'
Guardiola has had plenty of chances to see the Santos academy product up close in Europe's biggest competition.
Wednesday's meeting was the 15th time that Madrid and City faced off on the continent since their first duel in 2012-2013, and it is the most-played fixture in the Champions League between any two clubs since then.
Joining his current employers from Santos in 2019, Rodrygo has featured in 10 of those encounters while City is the team that he has scored against the most in his career with five goals so far before Sevilla (four) then Atletico Madrid and Barcelona (three).
His brace completed in the 90th and 91st minutes off the bench at the Bernabeu in a 2021-22 semi-final first leg (which Carlo Ancelotti's troops won 3-1 on the night and 4-3 overall via extra-time) are the most famous and beloved of the pack at City's expense among Madridistas.
Yet the tally on the whole puts him in lofty company, as only Karim Benzema (6), Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi (both on 7) have netted more past Guardiola's 'keepers.
It should therefore come as no surprise that City have often been linked to the forward, who has been unable to find regularity in terms of minutes and form at various points of his six-year spell there.
Rodrygo's 90th and 91st minute goals against Manchester City in 2022 went down in Real Madrid folklore
According to Onda Cero's Real Madrid correspondent Fernando Burgos, City attempted to sign Rodrygo as recently as the summer but the Brazilian turned them down.
SPORT also reported around that pre-Club World Cup period that Rodrygo had decided to stay put and 'try to be important in the team', but he clearly hasn't been until now with just three La Liga starts and two in the Champions League in 2025-2026.
Heading to Alonso directly for a hug after his strike, Rodrygo perhaps tried to show that there is no bad blood with his manager and that the team is behind the under-fire figure currently struggling in one of football's most demanding dugouts.
'It's a difficult time for us and for Xabi. Things aren't going well and I wanted to show that we're behind our coach,' Rodrygo said, also to Movistar.
'There's always a lot of talk and I just wanted to say that we're united and we need this unity.'
Acknowledging his winger's display and affection, Alonso said that he was 'really happy' for the Brazilian, who 'played very well'.
'Together is how we can turn things around, and I appreciate that,' added the midfield legend.
It remains to be seen if Rodrygo's effort proves a turning point for his fortunes at Madrid, where he is seldom considered for his preferred left wing spot because of compatriot Vinicius Jr, and faces competition from players such as Arda Guler, Franco Mastantuono or Brahim Diaz, in addition to Mbappe depending on how Alonso puts out his team, on the opposite flank.
If he returns to the bench starting with Sunday's away trip to Alaves, and talk of a potential move away is again ignited, it's clear that public admirer Guardiola could be keen to take him away from La Liga.