Rodrygo Goes has found himself at the centre a WhatsApp controversy at Real Madrid following their La Liga opening draw at Mallorca.
Carlo Ancelotti's team kicked off their title defense with a 1-1 tie in Palma as Kylian Mbappe finally made his league debut for Los Blancos.
Ancelotti stuck with an unchanged starting lineup from their 2-0 UEFA Super Cup final win over Atalanta, with Mbappe and Rodrygo paired in a stellar front four alongside Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
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However, the fearsome quartet failed to click into gear after Rodrgyo's fine opener, with Bellingham caught giving his teammates a firm message at half time.
That sense of early friction over fitting so many star names into attack continued after the game following Rodrygo's alleged post on his WhatsApp channel.
The message was later deleted, but verified as genuine by multiple sources, and referred to Rodrygo being annoyed at Spanish media coining a new 'BMV' acronym for Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicus, with him excluded.
The club have spoken to Rodrygo over the incident but his Brazilian compatriot, and former Barcelona star Rivaldo, believes his annoyance is justified.
"He has plenty of reasons to complain given the tone, and how the press only talk about Mbappe, Bellingham and Vinicius. Rodrygo is a very important player at Real Madrid and should not be left behind by any of his teammates", as per an interview with Betfair.
"Rodrygo is at the same level as Mbappe, Bellingham or Vinicius. He's been making the difference at Real Madrid for years."
The focus will now be on how Ancelotti deals with the situation, with preseason predictions of a squad unbalance looking more accurate, as he plots a La Liga and UEFA Champions League defence.
Up next for Real Madrid is a first home game of the season as Real Valladolid head to the Spanish capital on August 25.
