Madrid has never been so quiet. At 3am this morning, Castellana Avenue – the capital’s most prestigious street – was lit up by a huge fire. People living nearby said the ground shook like an earthquake. In the flames, a bright red  Ferrari SF90 – identified as belonging to Real Madrid star Rodrygo Goes – exploded just seconds after a horrific collision with the median strip.

Madrid traffic police arrived four minutes after the first call. When they approached, the heat was so intense that rescue workers were forced to retreat 20 metres. A witness, Maria Lopez, who was working the night shift at the cafe opposite, trembled and cried:

“I saw the car coming like a flash of light. There was an explosion – no, two explosions – and then a ball of fire. All in five seconds.”

Car dealership

A nearby security camera captured the incredible scene: Rodrygo’s Ferrari lost control as it overtook a pickup truck, skidded nearly 200 meters, and crashed into a lamppost before exploding. The footage went viral on social media within 10 minutes, with the hashtag #RodrygoCrash trending worldwide.

Madrid police confirmed they found a Real Madrid player card in a charred leather bag near the scene. A Richard Mille watch worth more than 1.2 million euros was also found, barely intact. “There is no doubt,” Lieutenant Carlos Mendes said at a 5 a.m. press conference, “that the victim is Rodrygo Silva de Goes, 24.”

Paramedics described a battle against time. Once the fire was somewhat contained, they pulled Rodrygo out of the mangled cabin. “He was still breathing very weakly,” said an unnamed paramedic. “We did CPR in the ambulance, three shocks, his heart started beating for 20 seconds… then stopped.”

It was only 8km from the scorched road to the La Paz hospital, but with each passing minute, hope faded. The ambulance doors swung open, blue and red lights reflecting on the faces of the doctors. A doctor on duty said:

“We did everything we could. When we took him to the ICU, the monitor showed a flat line. His heart was no longer responding.”

The news of Rodrygo’s death reached the Valdebebas training centre at 4:30am. Luka Modrić burst into tears in the dressing room. Vinícius Jr. put his head in his hands, screaming in despair. A group of Real players rushed to the hospital, but were stopped by police for security. “We just wanted to see him one last time,” Dani Carvajal said through tears.

The ICU room was lit up all night. On the table, Rodrygo’s relics were neatly placed: a silver chain, a Real Madrid Foundation bank card, and a burned piece of jersey with the number 11.

According to preliminary reports, Rodrygo’s Ferrari SF90 was traveling at more than 210 km/h. The black box recorded a sudden braking 0.8 seconds before the collision — too late to avoid tragedy. Police believe the car may have skidded due to wet road surface and worn tires after a night of rain, but have not ruled out the possibility of a mechanical failure or fuel leak.

Car dealership

Sports car experts say this is a Ferrari with extremely high power, easily losing control when accelerating suddenly. An engineer who used to maintain Rodrygo’s car said:

“He loved speed. But tonight, speed took everything away.”

At 5 a.m. European time, Real Madrid’s homepage changed its background to black, displaying only the words:
“Descansa en paz, Rodrygo.” (Rest in peace, Rodrygo.)

In Brazil, people gathered at the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. The lights were turned off for a minute of silence. Thousands chanted “Força Rodrygo!” amid a sea of ​​candles. On social media, footballers, singers, and politicians shared their grief.
The hashtags #PrayForRodrygo and #GoodbyeRodrygo dominated global trends.

Neymar posted: “You are always the pride of Brazil. See you soon, irmão.”
Cristiano Ronaldo wrote: “There are no words. My heart is with the Rodrygo family.”

By 7am, thousands of fans had flocked to Castellana Avenue, carrying white flowers and pictures of Rodrygo in a Real shirt. Police erected barricades to prevent the crowd from spilling onto the streets. Some fans fainted from emotion. The press described the scene as a “temporary flower cemetery”.

Paparazzi jostled to capture every moment: fans on their knees, tears streaming down the face of a mother holding a scorched poster. On the corner, a street artist began painting a portrait of Rodrygo in black charcoal on a concrete wall — after just 1 hour, hundreds of people stood around watching in silence.

Final Cliffhanger – Real Madrid’s Promise

At 9am, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez announced that Real Madrid would hold 7 days of national mourning, and the Santiago Bernabéu would become a memorial for Rodrygo. “He was a light, a hope. We will keep that memory forever.”

However, a new detail stunned everyone: the camera in front of Rodrygo’s garage door showed the  Ferrari leaving alone, without an escort. But 10 minutes earlier, a strange black SUV had stopped right in front of his apartment.

Who was in that car?
Why was Rodrygo driving at such a speed in the rainy night?

The question remains unanswered. Madrid, and the world, is left with only smoke, flowers, and the sound of ambulance sirens still echoing in memory.