Rodrygo goes into his latest run of comments still recovering from an ACL and meniscus tear suffered in March against Getafe. The injury ruled him out of World Cup 2026, but the lines he drew in the interview were about the coaches he wants around him next, especially Carlo Ancelotti and José Mourinho. He has also been writing articles for The Guardian about Brazil’s World Cup performances while he recovers.

Ancelotti’s influence on Rodrygo

The strongest line in the interview was simple. "Ancelotti is like a father to us," Rodrygo said, adding that the Real Madrid coach talks to the players and offers advice on and off the pitch. He also described Ancelotti as someone he admires enormously, both as a manager and as a person.

That is a fair reflection of the way Rodrygo framed the piece. He listed several coaches who have guided him, including Zinedine Zidane, Fernando Diniz, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa, but Ancelotti was the emotional centre of it. The tribute reads as genuine, not decorative.

The Mourinho link and the recovery context

Rodrygo was just as clear about José Mourinho. "I am continuing my recovery with high hopes of joining Real Madrid under José Mourinho," he said, calling him a manager who has everything it takes to lead the club back to winning trophies. That is the sharper football line in the piece, and it is the one that will travel furthest.

The injury context is still important, though. Rodrygo is not back yet, and the sources remain vague on whether the recovery window is measured in weeks or months. What is clear is that he is still in that process, not at the end of it, and that he is using his downtime to write, reflect and look ahead.

Real Madrid, for their part, arrive with a decent league platform. Real Madrid have won 4 of their last 5 La Liga matches, which at least gives the club a steadier backdrop for a player talking about his next chapter.

Rodrygo’s comments are less about transfer noise than about the managers who shaped him, and the one he wants to work under next. The next update on his comeback will come from the training pitch, not the quotes, but the destination he wants has now been made plain.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →