Rodri picked up the phone and heard José Mourinho on the other end. Real Madrid’s new head coach had a pitch to make, and he made it in person.
The 30-year-old midfielder described the conversation in a Mundo Deportivo interview published this week, saying Mourinho had called him during the summer to lay out what Real Madrid wanted him to do at the Bernabeu.
“I don’t think that it’s his style to reveal a private conversation, but he clearly expressed his desire for me to join the club and told me what I could bring to the team. He treated me very well,” Rodri said.
He signed for Barcelona anyway.
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Rodri said Real Madrid and Barcelona put similar offers in front of him, and that the decision came down to fit on the pitch.
“I made my decision based on sporting aspects, on what excited me more and where I felt I could win and grow the most as a player,” he told Mundo Deportivo.
Turning down Madrid was not painless.
“Saying no to Real Madrid was not easy, especially since they treated me so well,” he said. “I had to consider a lot of things and make a really important decision involving two of the best clubs in the world.”
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The call back to Mourinho
Mourinho, who returned to Real Madrid at the start of the summer, moved on Rodri quickly after his appointment. Once the decision was made, Rodri phoned him back.
“When I made my decision, I called him to thank him for his interest and for how he treated me,” Rodri said, adding that he considered Mourinho “a tremendous coach”.
He credited Barcelona sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick with tipping the balance the other way.
The €76.5m deal to 2030
Barcelona and Manchester City finalised the transfer on 18 August 2026, in a deal worth up to €76.5m including add-ons. Rodri, a former Ballon d’Or winner, signed a four-year contract running to 2030.
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“For me, it’s a dream to play for Barcelona,” he said at his unveiling.
“I’m excited about being with my teammates.”
Manchester City had rejected two earlier Barcelona bids of £40m and £55m before agreeing terms, according to Sky Sports.
He came for the Champions League
Rodri won four Premier League titles and Manchester City’s first Champions League during his seven seasons in England. In the same Mundo Deportivo interview, he set the European trophy, which Barcelona have not lifted since 2015, as the yardstick for his time in Catalonia.
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“If you ask me whether we have a chance, that is one of the reasons I came here,” he said.
He was more sober about the immediate odds.
“I don’t think we are the favourites. We have to understand where we have come from and what it takes to win it.”
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