This week, his absence from the list of thirty nominees for the 2024 Ballon d’Or has caused a lot of reaction. Despite winning as many titles as Vinicius Junior with Real Madrid, Rodrygo has not been favored by those in charge of creating this famous selection for the coveted individual trophy. The Brazilian striker responded on the field by scoring the winning goal for the Seleçao against Ecuador (1-0) on the night of Friday to Saturday, for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the South American zone.
Dominant in terms of ball possession, the Brazilians nevertheless had much more difficulty in front of goal. Solid on their bases, the Ecuadorians pushed them back for a long time. Until the end of the first half hour, when Rodrygo, well launched by Paqueta, opened the scoring (1-0, 30th). A single goal that would prove decisive since no other would be scored on either side, until the final whistle.
Brazil is back on track
Also starting for this match, Vinicius Junior, however, had a disappointing performance. Like his start to the season with Real Madrid, the striker did not show much good and was even the lowest rated of his team. Struggling in duels, he was very little seen, one of his rare good plays being an inspired pass to Rodrygo whose shot went a few centimeters from the opponent’s goal.
While they were on a three-game losing streak in these qualifiers, Brazil gave themselves a little breathing room with a win that puts them back in fourth position, eight points behind leaders Argentina. As for Rodrygo, he showed Real Madrid that they will surely have to count on him and that he will not be content to play second fiddle to Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé.
