Rodrygo Goes Says He Was 'Very Nervous' Ahead of First Real Madrid Start

Real Madrid youngster Rodrygo Goes has said he was "very nervous" before making his first start for the club in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League showdown with Galatasaray.

Manager Zinedine Zidane made the surprise decision to start the 18-year-old in the crucial match in Turkey, and he was rewarded with a fine performance from the Brazilian. Toni Kroos' goal in the first half was eventually enough for the La Liga side to earn a 1-0 win on the night.

Speaking after the match, Rodrygo said he was a little surprised to get the nod in attack, per Sergio Santos and Carlos Forjanes of AS:

"I feel really happy and content. And really thankful for the opportunity to realise a dream. I did what Zizou asked me to. The same as all of us, to go and enjoy it. Zidane asked me to enjoy it, to do my defensive work and with the ball to simply play and enjoy it

"I learned I was starting today. In the chat before the game, when the teamsheet was given. I was very nervous, but I enjoyed it. Yeah, I was surprised to be starting, I wasn't expecting it."

It was a high-pressure environment for the Brazilian to come in to, as Los Blancos have not been performing well as of late.

On Saturday, they fell to a 1-0 loss against newly promoted Real Mallorca in La Liga, while they only picked up one point from their first two UEFA Champions League matches.

A win against Galatasaray was imperative:

Given the hostile atmosphere at the Turk Telekom Stadium, it was a bold decision from Zidane to put Rodrygo in the side ahead of some more experienced names. But the youngster dealt with the occasion well.

The FootballTalentScout Twitter account provided the numbers from Rodrygo's first start as a Madrid player:

The teenager was a threat throughout the match, as he took up intelligent positions infield and drove forward at the Galatasaray defence. Although his final ball lacked care at times, it's clear Rodrygo has the raw attributes to have an influence this season.

Already he's shown what he can do in La Liga, netting this goal on his debut in the Spanish top flight:

Madrid have a number of injury problems to contend with in the attacking portion of the field, and in an ideal world, Zidane would not have wanted to rely on the youngster signed from Santos so soon.

Rodrygo should continue to be utilised sporadically for the remainder of the campaign and play plenty of games for Real Madrid Castilla. The first-team boss has clearly been impressed by his start to life at the club, though.