Jair Ventura believes that Rodrygo Goes can become one of the greats in world football.
Ventura coached the Real Madrid forward at Santos and knows exactly what is to come from the youngster in the future.
He sat down with MARCA to talk Rodrygo's upbringing, Zidane, Vinicius Junior and more.
What did you notice most about Rodrygo when you first started working with him?
His technical quality and diversity at the time of playing, decision making, dribbling... he's very strong one on one, he can finish, he's very good on a deal ball, he takes freekicks, penalties... and he's very versatile.
What position did he play? Now he plays on the right, but it hasn't always been like that...
He started out playing down the middle, but he liked playing on the left wing. I spoke a lot with him and told him that in the [Brazilian] national team, for example, he'd be up against a more experienced player, like Neymar, who played on the left and he needed to adapt to other positions.
What stood out about him was the quality as well as the maturity at his age. [He was] very serious, very professional... I understood it when I met his parents. He has a very good family structure that helped this as well.
Are you surprised by what Rodrygo is doing at Real Madrid?
No, it doesn't surprise me. I always said that Rodrygo would be one of the greats, I knew it, it's very clear. It's not because of me, I think all the coaches that have worked with him know his quality. He's a fantastic kid.
One day, I was asked how far he could go and I said the sky was the limit and it still is. He's only just starting out at Real Madrid but there are many good things that are to come. I'm sure that he's going to go very far.
Are you surprised that Zinedine Zidane is trusting such a young player?
When you have quality, age doesn't matter. It's logical that when we started to play him, we cautious about doing it gradually because he had to pay attention to the physical part, the reading of the game, tactics, but in the end... he would already be ready because of his quality.
When he first started games in 2018, he was already a key player in our team, he scored a goal in the semi-final and was the youngest Brazilian to score in the Copa Libertadores. Now he's the youngest player to score a double in the Champions League, a nice coincidence.
I repeat, the sky is the limit for Rodrygo, there's plenty left to come. We're working with players, we know more than what you see on the TV, we follow everything and we're sure that he's doing to go on to do great things.
Why do you think Rodrygo has adapted better to European football that Vinicius?
They're different players. Vinicius has a fantastic talent. He arrived and was taken advantage of, but he also has huge quality and has a lot left to show. Vinicius is quicker, more progressive in his dribbling.
Rodrygo is a bit more complete. He can play in the centre, he's good on dead balls, he has the final pass of a No.10, he's good at finishing, he has a good left foot, he's a complete player.
It's not that Vinicius isn't but his characteristics are different. Vinicius is more of a dribbler, he takes people on more... and Rodrygo can be more of a No.10, he can play in three positions: left wing, right wing, in the middle. Vinicius is also a great player.