Marcelo Says Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo Still 'Have to Prove Things' at Real Madrid

Real Madrid defender Marcelo has said Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes are aware they still have to prove themselves at the club.

Vinicius (19) and Rodrygo (18) have impressed since making big-money moves from Brazil to Real last year and this summer, respectively.

Marcelo told YouTube channel Que Partidazo (h/t Marca's Virtudes Sanchez):

"The pressure here at Real Madrid is much greater than in Brazil. I don't have many tips to give [Rodrygo and Vinicius], because they are mature and they are one step ahead due to being at Real Madrid.

"They know that in each game they have to prove things, because if they don't then it'll be demanded from them.

"You can have three wonderful matches and if you have a bad one they will criticise you and they will demand more from you."

Vinicius arrived in 2018 in a €45 million move from Flamengo, while Rodrygo joined from Santos this year for the same fee. The former stood out last season, recording 12 assists and three goals for Real's first team before a knee injury caused him to miss nine matches in the latter half of the campaign.

He has struggled somewhat since, though. The youngster has only produced one goal and one assist in 11 appearances this season, though he has only started four games.

Football journalist Ben Hayward believes Rodrygo has overtaken him:

The younger Brazilian has put up five goals and an assist in six matches, already matching Vinicius for goals in La Liga:

Rodrygo also bagged a perfect hat-trick for Los Blancos in the UEFA Champions League in a 6-0 win over Galatasaray (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

It's clear both players possess an abundance of talent, but neither is the final product. Neither is going to unseat Eden Hazard in Real's front three, either, so as long as the Belgian is fit, they are competing not only with each other but also with Gareth Bale and Lucas Vazquez.

As Marcelo observed, given that fierce level of competition for game time, they will only continue to get minutes if they consistently make the most of the opportunities they are handed.