Strongly courted by Real Madrid and José Mourinho, Rodri ultimately decided to join FC Barcelona. The Spanish midfielder has now explained the sporting reasons behind his decision to turn down the Madrid giants and move to the Catalan club instead.
Rodri’s transfer to FC Barcelona could easily have taken a very different direction. Before committing his future to the Blaugrana, the Spanish international held extensive talks with José Mourinho, the Real Madrid head coach, who was determined to bring him to the Santiago Bernabéu.
Speaking in an interview with Spanish radio station COPE, Rodri confirmed that Real Madrid had made a serious attempt to sign him. According to the midfielder, Mourinho personally explained his footballing philosophy, the tactical ideas he wanted to implement in Madrid and the important role Rodri could play in his new project.
“The Real Madrid did everything they could to sign me. José Mourinho told me how excited he was about the possibility of having me in his team and explained his vision of football to me. I found it very attractive because he is a top-level coach,” Rodri revealed.
The interest from Real Madrid was therefore very real, and Mourinho’s proposal clearly made an impression on the midfielder. The Portuguese coach reportedly viewed Rodri as a key piece of his midfield and believed his technical ability, tactical intelligence and experience at the highest level would perfectly fit the style of football he wanted to build at the Bernabéu.
However, despite the prestige of Real Madrid and Mourinho’s personal involvement in the negotiations, Rodri eventually decided that Barcelona represented the better sporting project for the next stage of his career.
🚨 Rodri: “Real Madrid tried strongly. José Mourinho shared with me his enthusiasm to get me, his football idea… it attracted me a lot, he’s a top coach”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 24, 2026
“Then I decided to join Barça and not Madrid due to a sporting decision, here I can grow way more”, told @partidazocope. pic.twitter.com/Sy3ewB0vvM
The former Manchester City midfielder explained that his choice was mainly based on his desire to continue improving as a player.
“I decided to join Barça rather than Real Madrid for sporting reasons. I believe I can develop much more here,” he added.
His comments underline the importance of Barcelona’s sporting project in convincing him to make the move. The Catalan club’s possession-based philosophy and emphasis on midfield control appear to have played a decisive role in his decision.
For Rodri, the move also represents a return to Spanish football after several highly successful seasons in England with Manchester City. During his time in the Premier League, he established himself as one of the most influen
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