Rodri Chooses Barcelona After Madrid Battle and Mourinho Call

Rodri’s return to La Liga will take him to Barcelona after the Spain international midfielder agreed to join from Manchester City in a deal valued at an initial €60 million ($65 million). The 30-year-old Madrid native had been at the center of an intense recruitment battle between Spain’s two largest clubs.

Real Madrid’s pursuit was led by manager Jose Mourinho, who spoke directly with Rodri about his vision for the team’s midfield structure. Rodri later made a personal phone call to Mourinho to share his decision and thank him for Madrid’s conduct during the negotiations.

“I don’t want to reveal a private conversation, but evidently he expressed his desire for me to go there and explained what he felt I would bring to the team,” Rodri said in an interview with Spanish publication *Mundo Deportivo*. “He was very good with me. When I made the decision, I also called him to thank him for the interest and the way he was with me.”

Rodri said the choice followed extensive evaluations of both offers, with Barcelona’s sporting project ultimately proving decisive. “I had to analyse a lot of things and make a big decision between two of the best clubs in the world,” he said. “In the end, I was guided by sporting aspects, by what excited me a little more and picking where I felt I could win and grow most as a player.”

The midfielder acknowledged that rejecting Real Madrid had been difficult because of the way the capital club handled the negotiations. “It wasn’t easy at all. Saying no to Madrid is not easy, above all when their behaviour with me was exemplary,” Rodri said. “In the end, Deco and Hansi convinced me.”

Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid from May 2010 to June 2013, winning La Liga with 100 points in the 2011–12 season and the Copa del Rey in 2011. He had wanted Rodri at the Santiago Bernabéu to strengthen Madrid’s central options ahead of the new campaign, while Rodri described Real Madrid as a significant challenge in the coming title race.

“He is a great coach, he has demonstrated it across many years, and Real Madrid are going to be a tough rival in the league this season,” Rodri said.

Barcelona’s summer squad restructuring under head coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco reached the agreement after the pair managed the negotiations together. Flick took over as head coach in May 2024 on a two-year contract through June 2026, replacing Xavi Hernández. Deco had assumed the sporting director role in August 2023.

Rodri is returning to Spain after a seven-year stint in English football with Manchester City. City triggered his €70 million release clause in July 2019 to sign him from Atlético Madrid.

In England, Rodri won four consecutive Premier League titles from 2021 to 2024. His 68th-minute goal secured Manchester City’s 1–0 victory over Inter Milan in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul, completing a continental treble for the English club.

Rodri was also named Player of the Tournament at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. Spain defeated England 2–1 in the final on July 14, 2024, in Berlin.