Rodri Explains Choosing Barcelona Over Real Madrid: Deco and Hansi's Influence
Real Madrid thought they had him. All summer, the European champions pushed hard for Rodri, confident he would anchor their midfield for the next decade. Instead, he walked into the Camp Nou and pulled on the Barcelona shirt.
Now, in an interview with MD, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner has finally laid out why.
“Saying no to Madrid is not easy”
Rodri described a chaotic off-season, far from the quiet break he had imagined.
“The first thing I have to say is that I would have liked it to have been two or three weeks of quiet vacation and they were not at all. Many things had to be analysed, and such an important decision had to be made with two of the best clubs in the world,” he explained.
Real Madrid were heavy favourites for much of the window. They courted him intensely, made their case, and by all accounts behaved impeccably. That, Rodri stressed, made the final call even tougher.
“In the end I made a decision on the sporting level, so it gave me a little more desire and to understand where I could win and grow more as a player. It was not an easy decision at all, saying no to Madrid is not easy, and above all that, they behaved exemplarily with me. In the end, Deco and Hansi convinced me.”
Sporting project over everything. For Rodri, that was the line that separated white from blaugrana.
Mourinho talks, but Barcelona win the argument
The midfielder also lifted the curtain slightly on his conversations with Jose Mourinho, the Real Madrid head coach who had personally pushed for his signing.
“I don't think it's his thing to reveal a private conversation, but he obviously expressed his desire for me to join, and he told me what I could bring to the team. The treatment was very good,” Rodri said.
He didn’t just disappear once the decision was made. He picked up the phone.
“When I made the decision, I also called him to thank him for his interest and treatment. I think he's a great coach, he's already shown it wherever he's gone in his great stages and Real Madrid are going to be a tough opponent for this league.”
Respect for Mourinho. Respect for Madrid. But the pull of Barcelona’s project, shaped by Deco and Hansi Flick, proved stronger.
Ballon d’Or boycott “played no part”
One subplot hung over the saga: Real Madrid’s decision to boycott Rodri’s 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony after he claimed the award.
He was emphatic that it did not influence his choice. The snub, he made clear, was not a factor in turning down their offer.
Rodri chose Barcelona for footballing reasons. Madrid, now staring at him across the divide, will have to live with the reality that the player they chased all summer is not just a rival, but a direct threat to their dominance in La Liga.
