Rodrygo saved Real Madrid vs Cadiz, but revealed why he was not going to play

Real Madrid got a key 3-0 win over Cadiz at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Sunday. That allowed them to become the leaders of the La Liga standings, at least until Girona face Athletic Bilbao on Monday. Rodrygo was the main protagonist of the match, scoring two goals and assisting Jude Bellingham for the third.

But the Brazilian forward was not actually going to be part of the starting lineup, Brahim Diaz was going to play in his place. But a few minutes before the start of the match, the former AC Milan player had stomach problems that prevented him from playing and so coach Carlo Ancelotti had to make a last-minute change.

However, in an interview with Real Madrid TV, Rodrygo revealed that he was not feeling well either and, in fact, for that reason he was not going to play against Cadiz: "20 minutes before going out to warm up I was calm, I thought I was going to rest because I was not very well. I had a sore knee and a tooth. But I had to play and everything went well". He had returned from South America this week, after the international break in which the Brazil national team faced Colombia and Argentina.

Coach Ancelotti also explained what his original plan was: "I wanted to rest him after his long trip with Brazil, but Brahim's intestinal problem before the game was bad luck. Rodrygo has made the difference again. But what made the difference was our good game, with attitude, managing the tempo."

When will they play again?

Real Madrid have no time to relax, as this Wednesday they will face Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but the fifth match of Champions League Group C. Although Los Merengues have already qualified for the round of 16, they have not yet secured first place in the group and so it will be an important match for them.