Álvaro Rodríguez: the mini-Haaland of La Fábrica by @FabricaMadrid
Full name: Álvaro Daniel Rodríguez Muñoz
Country: Spain and Uruguay
Place of birth: Palamós (Girona)
Date of birth: 14/07/2004 (17)
Height: 194cm
Youth teams: Global Palamós (2010-14), Girones Sabat (2014-15), Girona (2015-20)
Current team: Real Madrid (since 2020)
Categories: Juvenil B (U18), Juvenil A (U19) and Castilla
Current national team: –
Position: winger, centre-forward
Preferred foot: left
Market Value: –
Contract until: 2023
Player’s Agent: –
Similar type of player: Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku
Strengths:
– physical strength
– pace
– instinct
– finishing
– athleticism
– heading
– hold-up play
– dribbling
– off the ball movement
Playing style:
– target man
– tall forward with great physical strength, who is very solid in duels/contacts
– can play as a center-forward or as a winger
– good pace, agility & coordination for a player of his size
– powerful and determined forward with good finishing skills, interesting technique on the ball, decent dribbling skills, and cleverness at his off-the-ball movements
– he knows how to use his body to protect the ball and to prevent defenders from interfering with him
– likes to play with his back to goal
– he’s able of holding up the ball to provide assists to his teammates when playing with his back to goal & he uses well his body to secure possession when under pressure & can also be extremely effective in providing his team’s defenders with some respite following a clearance
– he can also relieve the team in difficult moments by winning fouls
– he generates many flick-ons and passes into the channels for his teammates to utilize
– dangerous player in the opponent’s penalty area: he is able of scoring in many situations
– aerial threat in the opposition box
– player with a powerful ball shooting
– very good in the air thanks to his size (194 cm) and his timing: a threat to opponents and an important element in set-pieces (to score or defend from a corner)
– despite his size and his corpulence, he is quite quick, has the pace and clever movement to run in behind the backs of the defenders and when he pushes the ball forward, he goes green and protects the ball well with his body
– he is good enough to attack the space and to get rid of his marker
– able to combinate / makes one-twos with his teammates and is important in the creative phase thanks to his side shifts or by playing with his back to goal
– despite his size and build, he is a player who is fairly comfortable with the ball and has good dribbling skills. He knows how to eliminate opponents and is not as bad as it might seem in tight spaces
– high work rate in the defensive phase and in the pressing
Weaknesses/improvements:
– using his weaker foot
– he needs to improve his first touch
– he needs to improve his passes precision: sometimes he misses “easy” passes
Description:
Álvaro Rodríguez is a 17-year-old striker who joined Real Madrid last season from Girona. He plays mainly as a centre-forward although he can also play as a winger – on either wing. In his first season at La Fábrica, Álvaro played mostly as a winger with the Juvenil C (U17). This season, by contrast, most of the games he has played have been as a centre-forward. At the beginning of the season, he was a substitute with Fran Beltrán’s Juvenil B, but when he had the opportunities, Álvaro was convincing and decisive. He has made it five consecutive games with a goal or an assist.
His good performances with the U18s have not gone unnoticed by Raúl, who has called the young player up for the Castilla game against Atlético Sanluqueño. He even made his official debut for the reserves in that game. Afterward, he will continue to be part of the Castilla dynamic and Raúl will gradually give him minutes. Last week, Castilla played a friendly against San Sebastián de los Reyes, with Álvaro starting and scoring. Last weekend, with Latasa unavailable, despite the fact that Andri Gudjohnsen was available, Raúl decided to rely on Álvaro and lined him up as a starter against Andorra. He did not disappoint and put in a very good performance, scoring a goal.
Álvaro is a player with a very special profile. Despite the fact that he is very tall (1,94 M), he is a striker who is quite mobile, fast and who is also comfortable with the ball. He is particularly good at dribbling. With his back to goal, he is quite resilient and knows how to use his body to make a difference. He uses his reach well to protect the ball and prevent defenders from taking it away from him. He is a striker who also likes to attack space and make runs into the backs of defenders. He is therefore a striker who is not easy to score on, as in addition to being strong and physically sound, he also moves well.
In front of goal, he is quite skillful (although he can do better in certain situations). He has a good shot and is very careful in the box to try to take advantage of the slightest mistake of the defenders. He is also a player who is quite selfless and intelligent for a centre-forward. When he sees a teammate who is in a better situation to score, he has the lucidity to make the pass.
As for the areas of improvement, he is still young and still has to improve the quality of his passes in certain situations. Sometimes he is not precise enough in his passes. He also needs to improve on his weak foot – he rarely uses his right foot and his right foot control could make him a more unpredictable player.
Álvaro is a promising player who can one day become a great player if he progresses well. He is a player and a profile that Raúl – his idol – likes. Raúl’s words on Álvaro: “He is a boy who has good conditions and has shown what he can be in the future. He is in our dynamic and we are working on what he can bring us. He will be competing when Latasa and Gudjohnsen come back, and I’m glad that everyone is giving their best to have more options”.
According to Mario Cortegana from Marca, Álvaro has a contract with Real Madrid until 2023, although the club is already in very preliminary talks to extend that contract.