“He has become a fundamental piece” - Cafu snubs Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr as he names key player behind Real Madrid’s fine form

Cafu has snubbed Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., naming Rodrygo as the player who holds the key to Real Madrid’s fluidity and effectiveness. The former AC Milan defender opined that Los Blancos struggle whenever Rodrygo doesn’t have a good game on the pitch.

Madrid bolstered their attacking strength last summer, signing Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent. Despite Mbappe’s arrival in the team, they have blown hot and cold in terms of performance this season.

While Mbappe leads the chart of the players with the most goal contributions for Los Blancos this season (32 goals and four assists in 49 games), Cafu believes his compatriot Rodrygo is the team's driving force. The Brazilian legend told Spanish publication SPORT (via Madrid Universal):

“When Rodrygo plays, Vinicius works, Valverde too, the same with Mbappe and also with Bellingham. When Rodrygo is not very well, Real Madrid have a lot of difficulty articulating the plays. He has become a fundamental piece.”

In the ongoing campaign, Rodrygo has scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists for Real Madrid in 48 appearances across competitions. However, most of the praise for the club's brilliance in the final third has gone to Mbappe due to his numbers.

"These types of youngsters just need to be patient" – Cafu on Endrick’s limited game time at Real Madrid

In the same interview, Endrick spoke about teenage sensation Endrick, who joined Madrid from Palmeiras last summer. The 18-year-old was highly rated at Palmeiras, but has found game time hard to come by under manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Endrick has featured in 32 games across competitions for the Whites this term, but has mostly come on as a substitute. Simply put, he has started only five of his 32 matches. Amid his lack of game time, the former Palmeiras man has been linked with an exit from Santiago Bernabeu.

While Endrick’s restricted game time has persisted in the Spanish capital, Cafu has urged him to be patient, adding that he could become one of Los Blancos’ greatest players.

"Of course it was a great choice for him to go to Real Madrid! He's not at just any team. He's young and surrounded by good teammates. But you have to take into account all the players ahead of him. He's just looking for his space. These types of youngsters just need to be patient. If he has the potential and the ability to listen, he'll become one of Real Madrid's great players," Cafu said.

Endrick has scored seven goals and provided one assist for Los Blancos this season.