“They’re going to have to add the R of Rodrygo” - Real Madrid winger sends emphatic message on Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius trio
Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has said that his efforts need to be recognised alongside the attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Los Blancos have a new 'BMV' trio following the arrival of Mbappe on a free transfer this summer.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is coming off a prolific seven-season spell at PSG, where he scored a record 256 times. Mbappe has arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu to join Vinicius, Bellingham and Rodrygo, forming a new trio in the process, with Rodrygo not part of the acronym.
While the new trio faltered in the 1-1 draw at Mallorca in Los Blancos' La Liga opener at the weekend, Rodrygo shone the brightest by opening the scoring. In a now-deleted Whatsapp post, the Brazilian wrote, seeking an expansion of the new acronym (as per The Athletic via GOAL):
“Hi guys, yesterday the result was not what we wanted. In La Liga, every point makes the difference in the end. I'm happy with the goal, and with the growth of the team. Last week they talked about the trio of Bellingham, Mbappe and Vini, but they are going to have to add the R of Rodrygo to that acronym.
"We have a quartet of attackers and the rest of the team. They all have their importance in the games and will show their value in the different competitions in which we participate. The week will be full of hard work until our next match at the Bernabeu.”
Rodrygo reportedly took down the message later - on advice from his representative - that it could affect team harmony.
How have Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe fared for Real Madrid this season?
Vinicius Junior has had a decent start to the season without scoring. The 24-year-old provided the assist to midfielder Fede Valverde to open the scoring in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw last week.
Less than 10 minutes after Valverde's opener, new signing Mbappe opened his Los Blancos account - converting an assist from Belllingham - to double his team's lead. The two goals proved enough as Carlo Ancelotti's side won a record sixth title in the competition.
While, Vinicius and Mbappe drew blanks - as mentioned above - in the 1-1 La Liga draw at Mallorca at the weekend, Vinicius set up Rodrygo's first-half opener, which was cancelled out by Vedat Muriqi in the 53rd minute.