Álvaro Rodríguez: Real Madrid’s academy player and potential replacement for Karim Benzema – scout report

As the curtain draws on a season of mixed results for Real Madrid, the Spanish giants will undoubtedly plan a serious challenge to take the La Liga title away from rivals Barcelona who have won the league convincingly with a 10-point gap between the top clubs. The plans unfortunately will have to be without their talismanic forward and captain Karim Benzema. Arriving as a fresh-faced forward for a then-French record transfer, he has helped guide Real Madrid to five league titles, and of course five European Cups.

Real Madrid could look to replace him with a certain talented academy product in Álvaro Rodríguez. Having already made several appearances this season under Carlo Ancelotti, and scoring the equaliser against bitter rivals Atlético Madrid, it seems the Uruguayan is making a case that he may be relied upon to be Madrid’s number 9 next season. 

“Álvaro Rodríguez will be in the first-team squad next season.”  Ancelotti remarked after the Madrid derby back in late February.

This tactical analysis will be a scout report on Rodríguez. The analysis will look at what kind of player Rodríguez is, what qualities he could bring to Real Madrids tactics next season, and how he will be able to facilitate the hole left behind by Benzema’s departure.

A versatile centre forward

Rodríguez is a unique breed of striker that the modern day is seeing more and more of (cue Erling Haaland). Standing at 192cm tall, at first glance, it may appear that the big centre forward is just your typical target man, able to hold up the play and win aerial duels. Although the latter may be true, which we will touch upon later, he is anything but that.

Rodríguez has played six times for Real Madrid’s first team this season, each of those coming off the bench as a centre forward. Plying his trade in Los Blancos’ reserve team, he possesses fantastic physical attributes that have seen him bully defenders in the air in Real Madrid’s Castilla, and this has seen him given chances in La Liga this season.

As mentioned previously, his height gives him an obvious physical advantage against centre-backs as evident in his goal against Atlético Madrid. The Uruguayan is powerful and has a good leap that often allows him to win headers and aerial duels against defenders.

Rodríguez tends to stay up and right up against the centre-backs, stretching the play vertically. This puts him in a good position to challenge for aerial battles. This also allows him to be a direct out ball for his team during the build-up. His ability to win flick-ons and direct headers towards his teammates further up the pitch can often help his team bypass the oppositions press.