Rodrygo was voted MVP of the Copa del Rey final at La Cartuja. The Brazilian opened the scoring in the second minute and in the second half he completed his brace to seal a 2-1 win and clinch the trophy for the Whites. As his performances and playing minutes have been in growing more and more he has proven to be a very important player for Ancelotti’s team this season. The youngster has been involved directly in goals in 27 times (16 goals and 11 assists) and has of course given a priceless contribution in several important games. He has now won every trophy possible with Real Madrid.
At the end of the clash against Osasuna, the forward expressed his delight at winning the trophy: “We were talking this week about how Real Madrid hadn't won this competition for a long time. I also just needed to win this one, so it was a very special day for me, with two goals. I'm delighted. This was a trophy I wanted to win because it was the last one I needed to win and at the age of 22 I have already won everything possible. But I want to keep winning many more and win this cup many more times. It was the first one and I saw how special it was, the atmosphere was so special from the moment we came out to warm up”.
He scored the first goal against Cacereño: “That day I prayed to God, because we began with a very difficult match in Cáceres, on a very difficult pitch to play on. I managed to score a goal and today I was able to round off this competition”.
The game: “It's always good to get off to a winning start and scoring a goal after two minutes gives you even more confidence. We were playing well. We started badly in the second half, but then I got the second goal and we went on to win, and that's what counts”.
Vini Jr.: “I always say how much I love playing with him, he’s a special player and we want him to keep it up”.
The young forward also revealed a beautiful secret regarding his 2nd goal celebration. He dedicated that goal to a very special fan: “I dedicated it to Nacho, a kid I visited at Juegaterapia, which is a place that cares for children with cancer. I went over there to pay them a visit and give them a gift or two. He asked me to make the “I” for Ignacio if I scored, so the second goal was for him”.
After him, Kroos, Carvajal and Courtois all spoke to the press and assessed Real Madrid's win over Osasuna. It was the first time winning this trophy for Kroos and Courtois. The German has been for quite a long time at Real Madrid, but had never tasted winning this trophy and it was an important milestone for him, completing the palmares. Courtois has also won a lot with Real Madrid and this trophy was special for him. Meanwhile for Nacho, this was the 2nd Copa del Rey after the 2013-14 one which he won together with La Decima during Ancelotti’s first spell at Real.
The German midfielder underlined: "It's the trophy I was missing and it was hugely important to me because I wanted to win the lot with Madrid. I've done that today and I'm incredibly happy. Now it's time to celebrate it. Winning finals is never easy. We saw that today, it was a tough game. It wasn't our best performance but that's to be expected because you're up against opposition who are going give it their all out there. Anything can happen in a cup final, but ultimately we managed to step things up after their goal. Finals are there to be won, it's not always about playing beautiful football”.
On Vini Jr.: “If you have a player like him, you have to try and utilise his pace. I thought he was incredible in the opening 30 minutes, he really put us on the front foot”.
The opposition: “They made life very difficult for us and they deserve a lot of credit. They played a really good game”.
On the tie against City: “At this stage, they were the toughest opponents we could have got but we're confident. We're Madrid and we will try our best to win, as ever”.
Carvajal expressed his happiness in the following terms: "I'm delighted to have been able to pick up another trophy in this jersey. I'd like to dedicated it to our fans, who have been amazing. We'll celebrate it as much as we can and then turn our attentions to Tuesday”.
His performance: "I had a couple of big involvements which saved two goals. I was completely focused, I knew I was in for a tough ride against Abde and I tried to contain him as well as possible”.
The team in finals: "It's a unique nature. At the toughest moments in these kinds of games, everyone wants the ball and will take a step up. It was a difficult match and Osasuna made things really hard for us, but we were better in both boxes. Our nature is that we know how to compete well in finals and we have guys here with an awful lot of experience”.
Ambition: "Since the coach has arrived, this team has won every possible title at club level. Our ambition remains intact, we can win another Champions League and we're going to go all out to do so”.
On Vini Jr.: "He's like a plane. He never stops dribbling and sprinting for the full 90 minutes. Perhaps clashing with the opposition is something he needs to look at and try to avoid because when he focuses on his football, there is nobody better”.
On the tie with City: "We have a big game in three days, it's crucial for us. We'll try and head to Manchester with a lead”.
Courtois, who besides CdR achieved a quite important milestone with 600 saves, said: "It was the only trophy I was yet to win in this jersey and we should be very proud of having won it because it was a seriously tough road to get here this year and we did a great job. Winning this final gives us positive energy for what's to come, we've got two key games in a week”.
A difficult final: "Osasuna played a great final. We were favourites but it was a difficult game. A final is a final and it'll always be tough, regardless of who the opposition is”.
Importance of the Copa del Rey: "I'm delighted. The Copa del Rey is important, even if the Champions League is the biggest competition a player can win. I place great value on the Copa because Madrid hadn't made the final for quite a few years. Winning it today, especially with the path we've taken, was beautiful and we have to cherish it”.
The match: "We started really well with the early goal and then we let them come back into the game with the odd headed chance. They pushed higher up in the second half, we struggled to break through the press. Osasuna are a team who play with lots of crosses into the box and they scored a lovely goal. The good thing is we made it 2-1 pretty quickly and then we had chances to make it three. That didn't happen and then we needed Carvajal to make that huge block to clinch the win”.
Vini Jr. and Rodrygo: "They are two talents and two fantastic players. I hope everything goes their way on Tuesday as well”.
600 saves: "I wasn't aware of it but I'm thrilled to have made it to 600 saves. I'm pleased to be able to help the team out with my saves and on the one hand I'd like to say I hope I make many more, but at the same time maybe not, because that would mean the team is not defending very well. I want to keep helping the team”.
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