He was supposed to become perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle for their archrival, but World Cup champion Rodri ultimately decided against a move to Real Madrid—choosing instead to play for FC Barcelona, of all teams.
He was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Real Madrid’s impressive summer transfer window following the Yan Diomande deal, which was worth up to 140 million euros; instead, Rodri is causing long faces at the club with the most Champions League titles. His desire—which had been increasingly leaked in recent days—to play for Real Madrid’s archrival, FC Barcelona, has now been made official. The Catalans signed the 30-year-old to a contract running through June 30, 2030.
As early as Monday, upon his arrival at the airport, Rodri had expressed excitement about his new challenge. “Of course, it’s a dream to play for FC Barcelona,” the defensive midfielder had said. Barca is an “ambitious club that really suits my personality,” Rodri said during his introduction. He added: “That’s why I’ll try to contribute in every way possible to help us achieve our goals this season.”
In Madrid, Rodri was supposed to become the long-awaited successor to Toni Kroos and finally put an end to the weakness in the heart of Real’s midfield. Instead, he’ll now continue his career in Catalonia, where he’ll be reunited with a total of eight players who won the World Cup title alongside him during that defining summer. Some of them also won the European Championship in Germany in 2024. The persuasive skills of Lamine Yamal & Co. are said to have been a key factor in winning Rodri over.
According to consistent media reports, Barcelona is paying a total of up to 87.8 million for the best player of the last European Championship and World Cup, whose contract with Manchester City would have expired in the summer of 2027. A sum that Real Madrid was reportedly unwilling to pay.
On the way to the World Cup title a few weeks ago, the midfielder impressively proved that he has put the injuries of recent years behind him, although his advanced age and a certain susceptibility to injury are factors that will need to be taken into account in the future.
However, FC Barcelona’s deep midfield will certainly offer coach Hansi Flick enough rotation options in the new season to ensure Rodri is at the peak of his abilities, especially in the important games. Rodri has regularly and impressively demonstrated in the past that he can perform at his best, particularly in knockout matches.
Rodri: “Flick will mean a lot for my career”
The 30-year-old is already speaking very highly of Flick: “I’m glad to have a coach who I believe will mean a lot for my career. It’s a style that, in my opinion, differs somewhat from what I’ve experienced so far, so it will be enriching and help me develop further as a player.”
The first opponent would be Terzic’s Bilbao
Meanwhile, an extremely successful era is coming to an end in Manchester for the World and European champion. Rodri won the league title four times in a row—a first in English soccer history—with the Sky Blues between 2020–21 and 2023–24; in 2022–23, he even won the treble, scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final.
Following the departure of coach and mentor Pep Guardiola—who had always showered the midfield maestro with praise and, out of old loyalty, would likely have advised him to join FC Barcelona—Rodri’s exit had become increasingly likely. Now it has become a reality.
The defensive midfielder could make his La Liga debut for Barcelona as early as August 27 in a home game against Athletic Bilbao, now coached by Edin Terzic. Given the circumstances this summer, his potentially heated La Liga “welcome” at the Bernabéu won’t come until Matchday 35, shortly before the end of the season.
