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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Grey Whitebloom

Real Madrid Cult Hero Snubs Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe With Shock Ranking

Vinicius Junior Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid Rodrygo Madrid Kylian Mbappé IMAGO Luka Modrić
Kylian Mbappé (left), Vinicius Junior (center) and Rodrygo scored 80 goals between them in 2024–25. | IMAGO/NurPhoto

Recently departed Real Madrid defender Jesús Vallejo ranked Rodrygo above Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé when comparing the technical quality of his illustrious teammates in the Spanish capital.

The 28-year-old center back developed into something of a cult hero in Madrid. Across his 10 years on the club’s books, Vallejo made just 35 senior appearances. The perennial substitute appeared in 47 first-team squads throughout the 2024–25 campaign, yet mustered just 136 minutes of action on the pitch.

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