It seems for a very long time that the fairytale of the summer, the one about the king returning to his castle, would enter its final chapter within the walls of the Bernabeu Stadium.
That has been the narrative everyone has heard for at least the last year.
‘And after Diomande… Rodri ,’ read a headline in Spanish outlet Marca earlier this month. ‘At Real Madrid, there is great optimism regarding the arrival of the Spanish midfielder, the crowning achievement of a spectacular project spearheaded by Jose Mourinho,’ its author wrote.
A news article in a different Spanish publication, published more recently, was even more bombastic.
‘The City player has no doubts and is only considering one option. If he ends up leaving Manchester, there is only one possible destination for him: Real Madrid.’
And it makes sense that so many predicted that this would be the outcome. Why wouldn’t the World Cup-winning Spain captain, who turned 30 in June and is desperate to leave England and return home, choose the bright lights of the world’s biggest club?
Yet, after months of assumptions and increasingly confident reports, Rodri has chosen Barcelona instead. The decision has blindsided many in Spain, where a return to the capital had long been viewed as a near inevitability.
After months of assumptions and increasingly confident reports, Rodri has chosen Barcelona instead of Real Madrid
Why wouldn’t the World Cup-winning Spain captain, who is desperate to leave England and return home, choose the bright lights of the world’s biggest club?
Considering the circumstances, the move to Barcelona represents a significant shift for both parties, signaling a clear ambition and a desire to cement his place within the club’s long-term strategy. It’s a move that reflects Rodri’s ambition and his desire for a new challenge, a departure from the established structure of his previous career.
Not only that, but it seems there are even some Real Madrid fans in Rodri’s family. A dig back through the archives and it doesn’t take long to stumble across a picture of one of his brothers in the famous white, blue and gold strip of Los Blancos. Despite Rodri having played for rivals Atletico Madrid in the past, the ties to the Madridistas are unavoidable.
Yet on Tuesday night, he sealed his £65.4m move to Barcelona – and insisted it was what he had always wanted. 'I’d like to say that I’m very happy to be here,' he said. 'It’s a very special day, a very important new chapter in my career. Barcelona is a fantastic club, a global benchmark for its approach to football and the values it represents. I had other options, but Barcelona was my first choice, and I made that clear.”
Rodri was all smiles during his unveiling as a Barcelona player on a deal to 2030 on Tuesday
While Real Madrid looked like the obvious destination from a distance, the more you examine Rodri’s character and priorities, the easier it becomes to understand why Barcelona ultimately won out. Because if there’s one thing most of us know about Rodri, it is that he doesn’t want you to know very much about Rodri.
There is no Twitter feed or Instagram page or frankly any form of public persona. Nowhere to see where he has been on holiday or what, if any, his pets look like. No post-gym updates on how he is feeling after having back surgery at the end of July.
And crucially, nowhere to give insight into what Rodri has been thinking about his next destination, beyond the varnished, pre-meditated sentences presented to the media, which have been few and far between.
When asked whether his childhood at Atletico would be standing in the way of a move to Real Madrid, he left the door ajar: 'There are other players who’ve taken that path. Not directly, but over time. You can’t turn down the best clubs in the world.'
But this was hardly Enzo Fernandez’s conspicuous flirtation ( 'I really like Madrid'). It was a nod to the fact that, of course, he would entertain a conversation.
Real Madrid is fame: the glitz, glamour and Galacticos. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. Barcelona, on the other hand, is pure, unadulterated football.
Seven of Rodri’s World Cup-winning team-mates, five of whom joined him in the final, are set to become his club team-mates too
In a message to City fans on the club’s website upon leaving, Rodri wrote: 'I found that saying goodbye is one of the most difficult things in life, but I am going to try. I knew I came into a top team, but I never thought we could be able to create the legacy we made winning trophies, fans around the world, love and respect.'
'We made an example to inspire the next generations not only because the success, also because the way we did it. And the fans were with us every step of the way.”
'City didn’t just make me grow as a player. They made me grow as a human. I saw my brother graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University. I could see my girlfriend working for the NHS.”
Rodri won four Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and three League Cups in a glittering spell at City under Pep Guardiola
'Manchester shaped my whole life. It’s time to say goodbye, thanks to the club, the fans, the staff and my team-mates. This journey couldn’t be the same without you, my heart will always be blue.”
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Source: Sport
