Rodri arrived in Barcelona yesterday and gave a little speech at the airport to the journalists. He said they will fight for the Champions League and for all the cups. He also completed the medical tests. Barcelona will pay Manchester City €60 million fixed and €15,5 million in variable bonuses for Rodri.
Fermín Lopez has taken the number 7 jersey, so Rodri could take no. 16. Barca has sold Ferrán Torres to PSG for €50 million, and it’s a really great deal, to be fair. One World Cup winner for another. Real Madrid also sold Gonzalo Garcia to Fulham, who was wearing no. 16 jersey, but then the transfer collapsed.
This move is really hurting Real Madrid, as the player had agreed to come to Madrid, but suddenly, when Barca entered the competition for the player, He chose them instead. There are rumours about why Rodri went to Barcelona instead.
"To play for Barcelona is a dream for me" 🌟
Rodri has landed in Barcelona for his medical ahead of his move to the Spanish side 📝 pic.twitter.com/CEgHdOfWwl
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 17, 2026
These are my ideas on why.
Firstly, Florentino Perez doesn’t seem to like Rodri. Especially after He won the Ballon d’Or ahead of Vinícius Junior in 2024. The Spaniard enjoyed the European Championship and took the award ahead of Vini, who played really well in the Champions League. Madrid and Perez didn’t like that. Could they still be angry at Rodri for this? Not sure, but this could be one idea.
Then, Perez loves Vinícius, so bringing his “enemy” to the team is not something that would sit well in the dressing room. There were plenty of problems in the dressing room in the past year(s), and adding an extra wood on the fire might not be the best. Vini played a big role in Xabi Alonso’s departure, but he and the team didn’t really improve under Álvaro Arbeloa. So Perez brought the big guy, the Special One.
Thirdly, Florentino Perez could feel that if he signed Rodri, that would just show that his opponent in the Presidential election was right. Apparently, Enrique Riquelme had an agreement with Rodri, and if he had won the elections, he would sign for Madrid.
We all know Florentino Perez very well. If he wants something, he would move mountains to get it. Unfortunately, Rodri was not one of those.
Pep Guardiola and Sergio Busquets probably influenced Rodri. Some new rumours say Rodri called Busquets before signing for Manchester City to ask how it is to work with Pep. Probably he called him again for advice? Also, if he had asked Pep for advice, he would have said to go to Barcelona, not to Real Madrid.
Manchester City wanted more money for Rodri, and Real Madrid made a mistake by trying to negotiate the price lower. Then City put Rodri on the market so more teams could enter the competition. Barca entered, and they wanted him.
Rodri seemed to like Barca’s project more. This could also be because of Pep’s and Busquets’ influence, or because Madrid needs to rebuild itself after two unsuccessful seasons.
I was ready to welcome Rodri to Real Madrid, but unfortunately we lost him. It will be interesting to see the next El Clásico.
Zoltan Tamas
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