After firing Real Madrid into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, Jese Rodriguez has set his sights high by revealing he wants to win the Ballon d’Or within the next four years.
The rapid emergence of the 20-year-old forward has been one of the brightest elements of Madrid’s increasingly promising campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, and his early goal in Tuesday night’s 1-0 victory over Espanyol – securing a 2-0 aggregate victory – was his fourth of the season.
Many Madrid fans are calling for Jese to be given more opportunities in the team, with Ancelotti not yet giving the Spain under-21 international a chance in his starting XI in La Liga, preferring to use him as an impact substitute from the bench and restricting his full appearances to cup competitions.
But Jese certainly isn’t lacking ambition, as he revealed: “I believe in myself. I have dreamt about winning the Ballon d’Or in four years’ time.”
Long-term ambitions aside, his more immediate target is continuing to find the back of the net on a regular basis, adding: “My objective is to score 10 goals this season; let’s see if I can do it.”
The former Real Madrid B player – who was the second highest scorer in the Segunda Division last season with 22 goals – was careful to avoid crossing the line from confidence into arrogance by insisting he’s happy to wait his turn for a place in Los Blancos’ starting line-up, with his path blocked by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Angel Di Maria.
“At the moment, I have to continue to take my opportunities,” he said. “I believe in myself but I always have great respect for my colleagues.”
One aspect of Jese’s game that works very much in favour is his versatility, with the youngster performing on both flanks, as an attacking midfielder and as a centre forward during his 21 appearances so far this season.
On Tuesday night he deputised for the injured Bale, but he has no illusions about permanently displacing the Welshman.
“Bale is a brilliant player and when he’s fit again, he’ll show how good he is,” Jese said. “The starter for the boss is Bale and I will have to keep working. I’ve been training well and the boss has seen that. Things are going well for me but I have to continue.”
Reflecting on Tuesday night’s comfortable win over Espanyol, Jese mirrored his manager Ancelotti’s recent comments by praising the balance of the team in both defence and attack.
Iker Casillas’ clean sheet means he has gone 682 minutes without conceding a goal, a new club record.
“The team is well-balanced and doing well with and without the ball. I’m happy about the win and the job done by everyone,” Jese added: “Real Madrid have to go for every title. We have to be strong in our stadium and drop as few points as possible.”
