Rodrygo has thanked Carlo Ancelotti for showing faith him in following a barren run in front of goal for Real Madrid.
The talented Brazilian has been out of form for much of the start of the 2023/24 season, thanks in large part to his transition from being a right winger to a centre forward in order to accommodate the arrival of superstar attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Rodrygo, who has openly admitted he does not like playing as a central striker, had managed just three goal contributions in 15 appearances for Los Blancos and is without a league goal since the opening game of the campaign, leading to many fans questioning why he was still one of the first names on the team sheet for Ancelotti.
The 22-year-old repaid the faith shown in him in Wednesday evening's win over Braga in the Champions League, looking back to his best as he bagged an assist in the first half of the game before finding the back of the net himself as he dinked the ball over Braga goalkeeper Matheus.
Speaking after the win to Movistar, Rodrygo was keen to thank Ancelotti for continuing to play him despite his dip in form at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
"I'm very happy, it was a perfect game," he said. "I'm very happy with the goal and the assist, but also with the win and qualification.
"The hug was to thank Ancelotti. When you aren't in a good moment, that's when you see who people really are. I wasn't in a good moment and he was always there for me. I scored and I had to celebrate it with him."
In his post-match press conference, Ancelotti was asked why he persisted with Rodrygo up top, explaining: "In my career, there've been forwards who've scored in every game and others who have moments when it's hard to score.
"All you can do is support them. A player with Rodrygo or Vinicius' characteristics will score sooner or later. They have extraordinary quality, it's just a question of time.
"Vinicius and Rodrygo combined spectacularly in the second half. There aren't many duos who can counter-attack like Rodrygo and Vinicius."
Rodrygo will be aiming to score for just the second time this season in La Liga when Los Blancos face off against Valencia on Saturday evening.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Rodrygo grateful for Carlo Ancelotti faith after star performance against Braga.