Real Madrid are renowned for both developing and buying some of the best young talent in the world.
The Spanish giants spread their net far and wide in an effort to capture the next generation of players that can help continue their domination on the pitch.
Alvaro Rodriguez is their latest young star that has quickly made a name for himself with hopes he could one day lead the line for Los Blancos.
With a goal and assist across his first three senior appearances for Madrid, Rodriguez clearly has an eye for goal and is one name to keep a close eye on in the coming years.
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Who is Alvaro Rodriguez?
Rodriguez is an 18-year-old forward who made his senior debut for Real Madrid on January 3, 2023 against Cacereno in the Copa del Rey.
Since then, he has featured twice more for the club in La Liga action, registering an assist against Osasuna before scoring a late equaliser against Atletico Madrid.
Rodriguez is the son of former professional footballer and Uruguay international Coquito, full name Daniel Gregorio Rodriguez Lima, who won four league titles and two Copa Libertadores with Montevideo-based club Penarol.
The teenage Rodriguez was born in Spain and spent five years in the youth system of Girona before moving to Real Madrid in 2020.
Standing tall at around 193 centimetres, Rodriguez is capable of playing anywhere across the frontline but has shown the most promise as a centre-forward — the same position his father played.
Despite his height, the forward is surprisingly quick and can finish strongly with either foot.
🤍 A dream come true. 🤍
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 28, 2023
👟 Álvaro Rodríguez
🆚 @AtletiEnglish@LaLiga | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/bgKB6vZzPV
Alvaro Rodriguez at Real Madrid
Real Madrid lured Rodriguez away from Girona in 2020, and he made his debut for their Castilla side in October 2021.
He scored four goals in his first season with the reserve team and has backed that up with five goals for them already in 2022/23.
Rodriguez has been part of the first-team squad several times this season too and looks set to stay there after his goal against Atletico Madrid.
"Our plan for next season is for Alvaro to be in the first-team squad. He has quality like few others and he's tall and strong," Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said after that match.
"[Karim] Benzema isn't a traditional centre-forward, so having one with this quality of his height is good for us."
Rodriguez is contracted to the Castilla team on a deal that runs until 2027 but will likely be offered new terms with the first team over the summer.
Álvaro Rodriguez, remember the name. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/5YxByCTzwQ
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) February 18, 2023
Alvaro Rodriguez nationality
As Rodriguez starts making waves at club level, the forward has already played for two national youth teams.
Born in Spain, his first taste of international action came with their Under-18 side in 2022.
But with a Uruguayan father, Rodriguez was also eligible to play for Uruguay and represented their U20 team several times at the start of 2023, scoring five goals across his first eight appearances.
According to the attacker's agent, Joyce Moreno, Uruguay is his first choice moving forward when it comes to international football but he remains eligible to play for both until capped at senior level.
How to watch La Liga 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Premier Sports 1, LaLigaTV | ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes | TSN | — |
| Streaming | Premier Player HD, Amazon Prime Video | ESPN+, fuboTV | TSN Go, TSN Direct, TSN app, TSN.ca | Optus Sport |
UK: La Liga matches in the UK can be found on Premier Sports platforms, as well as LaLiga TV which is available on Amazon Prime.
USA: ESPN holds the broadcast rights to every La Liga match in the USA with both English- and Spanish-language streams available on ESPN+. ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes televise select matches, with all those channels streaming on fuboTV.
Canada: TSN carries La Liga in Canada with select matches televised on the TV network. The other matches are available to stream on TSN platforms.
Australia: Optus Sport is the home of La Liga matches for fans in Australia.
