"Players don't throw matches" - Former Madrid academy lad debunks dressing room sabotage myths
Rodrigo Moreno reflects on his career from Real Madrid's academy to Qatar, dismissing the notion that players deliberately underperform to get managers sacked.
A candid conversation with a footballer who’s seen it all reveals what really happens behind closed doors at top clubs.
Madrid memories and what might have been
Rodrigo Moreno, currently plying his trade at Al Rayyan in Qatar, has opened up about his fascinating career journey that began in Real Madrid’s youth setup. The Spanish international reflected on his time at Valdebebas with obvious fondness, despite never making an official first-team appearance.
“My time at Madrid was spectacular, it was brief, but I enjoyed it immensely and it helped me tremendously professionally,” Rodrigo shared, reminiscing about the 2009-10 campaign under Manuel Pellegrini – the season that marked Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká’s arrival at the Bernabéu.
Rather than harboring regrets about not breaking through, Rodrigo views his Madrid education as crucial to his development into the top-flight footballer he became.
Benfica: Portugal’s Madrid
After departing the Spanish capital, Rodrigo found stability at Benfica, a club he considers comparable to Real Madrid in terms of social impact and sporting ambition.
“It’s a team with brutal social influence,” he explained, highlighting how the Portuguese giants were once the club with the most registered members worldwide during his time there.
He painted a picture of Portuguese football’s reality as a selling market, where retaining elite talent proves challenging – something he experienced firsthand playing alongside stars like David Luiz, Fábio Coentrão and Axel Witsel before they moved to bigger leagues.
Busting football myths
Perhaps most interestingly, Rodrigo took aim at one of football’s most persistent conspiracy theories – the idea that squads deliberately sabotage managers they dislike.
Drawing from his extensive career experience, he was crystal clear: “I’ve never seen a teammate go onto the pitch to lose a match because they don’t like the manager.”
This blunt assessment challenges the popular narrative often peddled when teams hit a rough patch, suggesting football’s realities are far more nuanced than the “players got the gaffer sacked” storyline many fans and pundits reach for.
Lopetegui’s lasting influence
Rodrigo also spoke warmly about Julen Lopetegui, who coached him to European U-21 Championship glory and later selected him for the 2018 World Cup squad. “He’s been an extremely important manager in my career,” he acknowledged, while also praising Lopetegui’s recent success with the Qatar national team.
Now in his third season in Qatar, Rodrigo appears settled both personally and professionally, though he continues to follow European football closely. While a return to Spain isn’t on the cards just yet, his affection for Madrid clearly remains undimmed.