Rodrigo Ely never made a single appearance for Nottingham Forest but on Saturday he masterminded a famous win over Barcelona. The current Almeria defender was part of the team that defeated the Spanish table toppers 1-0 in La Liga.
Ely was a bizarre Forest signing. He checked in on the back of a year out of action with a cruciate knee ligament injury and constantly found himself injured at the City Ground.
The Brazilian defender signed on a free transfer after being released by Alaves. He played a couple of times for the under-23s but failed to make it into any of Steve Cooper’s squads during 2021/22.
In January 2022 he was released by the Reds and subsequently signed for Almeria. Last season he helped the team win promotion and now he’s an important part of the team.
On Saturday, the highlight of the season came for Almeria. A goal in the 24th minute from El Bilal Toure settled the tie and gave the 15th-placed team a 1-0 win over Barcelona.
Ely played the full 90 minutes at the weekend. Who Scored shows that he had a blinding game too, winning three headers, three tackles and making a staggering 13 clearances.
Ely didn’t make a single appearance for Forest and he’s making up for lost time
At 29-years-old, Ely still has bags of time on his side. Now, he’s clearly determined to get his head down and play regular football at Almeria.
The player won’t have enjoyed his time at the City Ground. It just wasn’t the right fit for Ely at a time when he was desperately craving regular football.
On Saturday, his head coach Rubi called him ‘colossal’ for his heroics. Making 13 clearances is no mean feat and it’s a performance that he should be very proud of.
Ely and Forest weren’t a match made in heaven. Now fully fit, however, he’s showcasing to the Reds what they might have had if they’d persisted with his constant injury issues.