YOU GOT TO SEE THE ROD?!
Spanish press hail Rodrygo as a gift ‘from the sky’ after Real Madrid star, 18, scores perfect hat-trick vs Galatasaray
REAL MADRID and the Spanish press welcomed the latest episode in emerging hero Rodrygo Goes' story last night.
A 6-0 Champions League win over Galatasaray featured the Brazilian teenager hitting a perfect hat-trick.
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Two goals in the opening ten minutes were added to by an injury time finish that earned huge plaudits across the media.
MARCA dedicated their front page to the teenager with the headline: "Rodrygo lights up the Bernabeu."
And the Madrid-based newspaper goes even further, dubbing him O Raio or The Lighting and pointing out that he has now mastered a competition that Pele never breached.
The overwhelming comparisons don't end there with it noted that Rodrygo took six games to score his first Real hat-trick, which is the same number as the legendary Alfredo di Stefano.
Fellow capital publication AS liken his "irruption" to that of Raul and Emilio Butragueno.
The two Spaniards' opening records don't match Rodrygo's with his first six games producing five goals.
'THE PANTHEON OF HEROES'
A star of the mid-1990s, Butragueno scored twice on his debut but not again during his opening six outings with Raul also netting twice in the same period.
That makes Rodrygo a gift "fallen from the sky", according to AS's front page.
Even the Barcelona-based press were left hailing Rodrygo, but couldn't resist taking a punt in the process.
Mundo Deportivo wrote about how the hat-trick "confirmed him as the great emerging talent of Madrid" but his feat is used to highlight fellow Brazilian youngster Vinicius' comparatively weaker stats.
Likewise, Sport believe £40m man Rodrygo has already entered "the pantheon of Blancos heroes" while Galatasaray's defence is reported to have "surrendered".
Speaking to reporters after the game, coach Zinedine Zidane pressed home the need to not get overexcited by the 18-year-old.
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He said: "We are happy for him because in the end when he gets the chance to play he plays well, and he did so again tonight.
"He plays well in every sense. We know his qualities in attack well, but he also works hard in defence and helps out with a lot.
"But we need to keep calm and not put any pressure on him."
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