Rodri opens up on difficult decision to reject Real Madrid for Barcelona | OneFootball

The Spanish midfielder Rodri Hernandez was inarguably the biggest name that FC Barcelona added to their team in the last summer transfer window. Shortly after winning the World Cup with Spain, the experienced midfielder opted to return to his native country, and saying goodbye to Manchester City after spending seven years there, signed for the Catalan club.

Although returning to Spain was one of his main objectives, it was not very clear which club he would join. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona were interested in him, and he was very closely linked with the former, before opting for the latter, in one of the bigger surprises of the transfer window.

Rodri recently appeared in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, and opened up about how his move to the Blaugrana club came about, and how the Catalans were able to convince him:

 “First of all, I have to say that I would have liked those two or three weeks of vacation to have been peaceful, but they were anything but. I had to analyze many things and make such an important decision between two of the best clubs in the world.

In the end, I made a decision based on the sporting side of things, on what gave me a little more desire and on understanding where I could win and grow more as a player. It wasn’t an easy decision at all. Saying no to Madrid isn’t easy, and above all, they treated me exceptionally well. In the end, Deco and Hansi’s leadership convinced me.”

Meanwhile, the Spaniard also made it clear that Real Madrid also treated him very well:

“Well, I don’t think it would be right to reveal a private conversation, but obviously he expressed his desire for me to join and what I could bring to the team. The treatment was very good. When I made my decision, I also called him to thank him for his interest and the way he treated me. I think he is a great coach; he has already proven it wherever he has gone during his great spells, and Real Madrid will be a tough rival for this league.”

The midfielder also made it clear that his choice to move to Barcelona had nothing to do with the Merengue club boycotting the ceremony when he won the Ballon d’Or:

There is no doubt it must have been a very difficult decision for Rodri to choose between two of the very top football clubs, not only in Spain but also in Europe. But ultimately he chose Barcelona, and he is already proving to be a valuable player for Hansi Flick, despite the German coach having several other options for this area of the team as well.