The Club World Cup determines Rodrygo's future with Real Madrid

Signs of isolation have begun to surround Brazilian striker Rodrygo at Real Madrid, having been relegated to the bench since Xabi Alonso took over as first-team coach. The latest chapter in the 24-year-old's marginalization came during the Club World Cup Round of 16 match against Juventus, which Real Madrid won 1-0 without playing a single minute. Rodrygo, who joined from Brazilian club Santos in 2018 for €45 million, has a distinguished record with Los Blancos, having made 269 appearances, scoring 68 goals and providing 51 assists. He has also won numerous titles, most notably the Champions League twice and La Liga three times, in addition to representing his country 33 times, scoring seven goals. His presence in the current edition of the Club World Cup has become marginal, having played only 88 minutes of the team's 360 matches, according to the Spanish newspaper Marca. His only start came against Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the group stage opener, before he was substituted after 65 minutes. He missed the Pachuca match, then returned as a substitute against Salzburg for just 23 minutes, contributing an assist. The newspaper notes that Rodrygo's numbers now explain his decline in form, as he hasn't scored since the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Atletico Madrid, while his last La Liga goal dates back to January against Las Palmas.