“I warned Xabi Alonso about that particular player, he refused to bench him and He drew the game Vs Girona is making the same mistake now, I’m warning him also”: Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane names ONE player who doesn’t deserve to start for Real Madrid, warned Alonso about the unforgivable mistake
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo Goes has endured a difficult 12 months, struggling with a prolonged slump in form that shows no signs of ending.
The 24-year-old forward limped to the finish line last season under Carlo Ancelotti and faced intense transfer speculation over the summer, but ultimately decided to stay and fight for his place under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Unfortunately, things haven’t turned around for the Brazilian international.
Rodrygo has hit an unwanted milestone at Real Madrid. After the recent Girona match, he now holds the club record for the longest goalless drought by a forward, both in terms of matches played and minutes on the pitch.
The Brazilian has now gone 30 consecutive games without scoring across all competitions, accumulating 1,339 minutes during this barren run.
His last goal for the club came way back on March 4 against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout rounds. In La Liga, he hasn’t scored since January 19 against Las Palmas.
Rodrygo currently shares this dubious distinction with former Madrid striker Mariano Diaz, who also went 30 games without scoring, though Mariano’s drought lasted just 986 minutes.
Third on this unwanted list is Rafa Maranon, who went 29 matches and 1,426 minutes without a goal back in 1970.
If Rodrygo fails to score in his next outing, he’ll overtake Mariano and claim the outright record for the longest goalless streak by a forward in Real Madrid’s history.
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Former Premier League midfielder Don Hutchison believes Manchester United are underachieving this season, especially given they have no European distractions, and insists their Sunday victory over Crystal Palace must be the turning point.
Despite being completely outplayed in the first half at Selhurst Park, United transformed the game after the break with goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount completing the turnaround.
The win ended a three-match winless streak for Ruben Amorim’s side, who now sit seventh in the table, just three points behind third-placed Chelsea.
“With no European football whatsoever, this team should be performing at a much higher level,” Hutchison told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast. “They’re not juggling multiple matches each week – they’re getting at least five or six days’ rest between games.
“The performances should be better. The first half was poor yet again.
“But this was a step forward. It was a solid away victory against one of the Premier League’s form teams at a notoriously tough venue.
“Selhurst Park has an intimidating atmosphere, Palace are a quality side, and those three points are valuable.
“The encouraging news for United fans is that West Ham and Wolves are next up, which should mean two more victories.
“There’s a real chance to build some momentum now, and they absolutely must capitalize on it. The excuses need to stop – this win has to be the catalyst for bigger things.”
