Real Madrid’s Rodrygo was the show’s star in their 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the return leg at Stamford Bridge, scoring two goals and paying tribute to his idol Cristiano Ronaldo with the Portuguese forward’s trademark ‘Siuu’ celebration after his first goal.
Why Did Rodrygo Imitate Cristiano Ronaldo’s Celebration
Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League semi-finals after defeating Chelsea with a 4-0 aggregate scoreline. The Brazilian revealed after the match that Ronaldo is his idol, and he decided to pay tribute to him as his knee had a slight inflammation which posed difficulty in doing his regular celebration.
“When I scored, my immediate reaction was to think about doing one of those knee slides, but I’ve got a slightly tender knee when I flex,” he said. “So it popped into my mind to copy my idol, Cristiano, and copy what he does.”
After booking their place in the semi-finals, Los Blancos will face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich. Rodrygo believes the team can continue their success and secure their 15th Champions League title.
“I always say it’s a very special competition for me; every time I play, I can help the team. I’m happy, and I hope to carry on like that, scoring more goals, providing more assists and winning the Champions League again.”
“It’s a pleasure to be here at Real Madrid, the biggest team in the world. We know we have almost the obligation to get to the semifinals and finals and to win the Champions League. Since I arrived, we’ve had that in our heads, we have to go far, we have to play well, and that’s what we’ve done since I’ve been here: we’ve gone far in this competition.”
Rodrygo’s Confidence and Ancelotti’s Praise
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti praised Rodrygo’s “extraordinary” performance saying: “Rodrygo’s match today wasn’t even as good as other matches because he has played some spectacular ones. But his effectiveness was extraordinary. His work in other matches where he hasn’t scored made the difference despite not scoring. But today, he sealed the deal with two goals.”
