Travel arranged in a hurry - absences in the team are what finally opened the door, earlier than expected - what everyone else sees as the start of something feels like the culmination to her, more aware than anyone of how far they have come. Outside El Sadar, by the team bus, Alvaro's mum, Pilar, is waiting to see her son.
Only a Javi Garcia pass for Michael Owen beats it.
Most players in his position would not have the tranquility or the selflessness, Ancelotti says.Īt 18 years, 219 days, he is the second-youngest player ever to provide an assist for Real Madrid. There's a smoothness that belies that big frame and a calmness that, at the risk of cliché, belies his age. Tall, good in the air, you say? Instead, he makes the tackle and plays an impeccable pass for the second goal, victory finally secure. Never mind that one was disallowed for offside, the impact is huge. Seven minutes later, when he comes off at full-time, Alvaro has provided two assists and Madrid have won. "He's tall, good in the air, a profile we don't have," Ancelotti explains before the game, pass notes for those who haven't seen him play, which is most people. He has five goals in six games for Uruguay. He has played 15 times for Castilla, Madrid's B team, scoring five times, and has just come back from the U20 World Cup. His name is Alvaro Rodriguez and he has played just 23 unremarkable minutes all season - against third-tier Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. With seven minutes to go, Real Madrid's manager sends on a tall, slightly clunky-looking 18-year-old. Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) This was not just a cameo, Carlo Ancelotti says. "I feel like I have seen this movie before," sighs the Osasuna manager Jagoba Arrasate afterwards, an inevitability about it all, but if the film is familiar, the kid taking over the final scene is not. Under pressure, they have found a way to win, which is very much their way.
Real Madrid have just defeated Osasuna 2-0 at El Sadar, the original hard place to go. It is late in Pamplona, and Federico Valverde is laughing. "And your little brother made quite an impact."
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