Shock new details reveal Mourinho role in Rodri joining Barcelona over Real Madrid | OneFootball

A fresh report from Spain has revealed Jose Mourinho’s role, or lack of it, in Rodri’s decision to join bitter rivals Barcelona over Real Madrid this summer.

The Spain World Cup winner had been earmarked for a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu for the majority of the summer before Barca leapfrogged their LaLiga rivals in the race to snap up the 30-year-old.

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Rodri from Manchester City for fee of around £65million (€76m), with the midfielder set to pen a four-year contract with the reigning LaLiga champions.

Rodri’s importance to City was highlighted during the 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, with new City boss Enzo Maresca admitting after the contest: “Rodri is a player who just won the World Cup and Ballon d’Or.

“He’s a top player, all the teams need a Rodri, so it’s not about if we miss Rodri or not.”

City’s loss appears to be Barcelona’s gain, but things could have been very different if the Spaniard had opted for a move to Madrid instead of Catalonia.

And now Spanish outlet MARCA has revealed fresh details over Real Madrid‘s failed pursuit of Rodri.

The report claims that despite showing significant interest in Rodri, Los Blancos’ pursuit never truly convinced the City star from the off.

While Florentino Perez and Jose Angel Sanchez ‘contacted Rodri personally during the summer’, Madrid still had internal doubts over whether the player was ‘exactly the midfielder the squad needed’.

Indeed, there was belief internally at Real that Rodri ‘lingered on the ball for way too long’ and ‘wouldn’t suit the style of game Mourinho’s teams play’.

While Rodri previously admitted it was a dream of his play for Real Madrid, the eventual approach from the Spanish giants ‘did not go the way the midfielder was expecting’.

What’s more, it’s claimed that unlike other targets this summer, Mourinho ‘did not personally contact Rodri during the process’.

The Portuguese tactician is known for using direct conversations to convince players to sign, as he did with both Yan Diomande and Carlos Espi this summer.

The fact that Rodri did not receive that same treatment may well have been a telling factor behind Real not being fully committed to any deal, while the player himself would likely have felt those same vibes when deciding on Barca instead.

Quite why Rodri, widely regarded as the best No.6 in world football, would not fit in Mourinho’s system remains a mystery, but the Spaniard will have the chance to show Real what they missed out on when the teams go head-to-head again this campaign.