{"id":30267,"date":"2022-12-02T15:12:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil"},"modified":"2022-12-02T15:12:43","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:12:43","slug":"chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil","title":{"rendered":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mozambique. <\/strong><\/span>Rodrygo is the complete striker: the 21-year-old Brazilian can play on the left, the right, as a No.10 or as a false nine.<\/p>\n

And after his decisive second-half performance against Switzerland on Monday, he looks well-placed to finally earn his first start for the Selecao, maybe even in Neymar\u2019s playmaker role.<\/p>\n

Substitute Rodrygo set up Casemiro\u2019s late goal in their 1-0 win against the Swiss, which followed a 2-0 victory against Serbia in their World Cup opener.<\/p>\n

Brazil have already qualified for the last 16 ahead of Friday\u2019s final Group G clash against Cameroon and coach Tite is likely to make changes, with Neymar still nursing an ankle injury sustained in their opening match.<\/p>\n

Casemiro believes Rodrygo, who plays for Real Madrid, has the talent to be Brazil\u2019s next big star.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod gave him the gift of playing football. It\u2019s beautiful watching him play,\u201d the Manchester United midfielder, who used to play alongside Rodrygo at Madrid, said last week.<\/p>\n

The five-time World Cup winners have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking department, even with Neymar injured and Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho left out of the squad.<\/p>\n

Raphinha, Antony, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Pedro and Richarlison are all providing competition for Rodrygo.<\/p>\n

But the youngest player in Tite\u2019s World Cup squad has one major advantage over the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen him playing as a false nine, a 10, the \u2018Neymar\u2019 of Real Madrid, with the ability to play on the left and right,\u201d Matheus Bachi, an assistant coach with Brazil, who is also Tite\u2019s son, said recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a chameleon, but a chameleon who does all these functions very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

That versatility was evident when Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti started deploying Rodrygo in the centre of the attack this season alongside striker Karim Benzema, rather than using his pace on the flanks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a special forward, he can play in every position. He\u2019s quick, intelligent off the ball and effective one on one,\u201d said Ancelotti.<\/p>\n

Rodrygo has seven goals and five assists in 19 club matches this season. His two late goals off the bench for Real in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City last season turned the tie on its head and the Merengue went on to lift the trophy.<\/p>\n

Rodrygo\u2019s versatility was well known at his first club, Santos \u2014 the same team that produced Pele and Neymar.<\/p>\n

He played as a No.10 in the academy but made his first team debut in 2017 on the left wing. Neymar used to play on the left before he was moved into a more central position and back in 2017 Jair Ventura, who gave Rodrygo his Santos debut, decided to develop his abilities \u201con the right, in the centre and as a false nine,\u201d he told ESPN in 2019.<\/p>\n

That ability to play across the forward line has served Rodrygo well. His performances soon alerted Real Madrid and he moved to Spain in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s extremely professional and educated. He\u2019s very smart, you explain something to him once and he understands it immediately,\u201d said Ventura, the son of ex-player Jairzinho, a World Cup winner in 1970 alongside Pele.<\/p>\n

Since his Brazil debut three years ago, Rodrygo has made nine appearances, but all as a substitute. He scored one goal in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Paraguay and now has one assist to his name too. And he has no doubt that he could fill the void left by Neymar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel comfortable playing in every position up front. I\u2019ve already played with the No.10 jersey in the junior categories but it\u2019s only recently that (senior) coaches have started putting me there,\u201d Rodrygo said recently. \u201cWe already have our No.10 here, Neymar, but who knows for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The future may be now.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Mozambique<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mozambique. Rodrygo is the complete striker: the 21-year-old Brazilian can play on the left, the right, as a No.10 or as a false nine. And after his decisive second-half performance against Switzerland on Monday, he looks well-placed to finally earn his first start for the Selecao, maybe even in Neymar\u2019s playmaker role. Substitute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":30266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[233,281,283],"class_list":["post-30267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-mozambique","tag-mozambique"],"yoast_head":"\nChameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Mozambique. Rodrygo is the complete striker: the 21-year-old Brazilian can play on the left, the right, as a No.10 or as a false nine. And after his decisive second-half performance against Switzerland on Monday, he looks well-placed to finally earn his first start for the Selecao, maybe even in Neymar\u2019s playmaker role. Substitute […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-02T15:12:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-02T15:12:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\"},\"wordCount\":657,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Mozambique\",\"Mozambique\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\",\"name\":\"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil - Mozambique\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-02T15:12:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\",\"name\":\"Mozambique\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil - Mozambique","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil","og_description":"Africa-Press – Mozambique. Rodrygo is the complete striker: the 21-year-old Brazilian can play on the left, the right, as a No.10 or as a false nine. And after his decisive second-half performance against Switzerland on Monday, he looks well-placed to finally earn his first start for the Selecao, maybe even in Neymar\u2019s playmaker role. Substitute […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil","og_site_name":"Mozambique","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2022-12-02T15:12:43+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil","datePublished":"2022-12-02T15:12:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil"},"wordCount":657,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Mozambique","Mozambique"],"articleSection":["all news","sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil","name":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil - Mozambique","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg","datePublished":"2022-12-02T15:12:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1669985308.61.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/chameleon-rodrygo-eyeing-neymars-no-10-spot-for-brazil#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chameleon Rodrygo eyeing Neymar\u2019s No.10 spot for Brazil"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/","name":"Mozambique","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}