Former Manchester City midfielder and current Barcelona star Rodri has revealed why he chose to join Barcelona despite interest from their arch-rivals, Real Madrid.
The former Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner admitted that the decision was difficult, particularly because of how well he had been treated by Real Madrid.
The 28-year-old explained that he had to consider several factors, especially where he believed he could continue to develop and grow as a player.
“I had to consider a lot of things and to make a really important decision involving two of the best clubs in the world, not easy”.
“I made my decision based on sporting aspects, also on what excited me more, where I felt I could win and grow the most as a player for my future”, Rodri has told @mundodeportivo.
Rodri also revealed that Jose Mourinho personally contacted him to express his desire to bring him to the club.
“Jose 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 and clearly expressed his desire for me to join the club and told me what I could bring to the team”.
“Jose treated me very well. When I made my decision, I called him to thank him for his interest and for how he treated me”.
“I think he’s a tremendous coach, and he has already proven that in every club he has been to in his spectacular career.”
Rodri also dismissed reports that his decision to turn down Real Madrid was influenced by the club’s players boycotting the Ballon d’Or ceremony after he won the prestigious award.
“It’s not true that I rejected Real Madrid because they boycott that Ballon d’Or. At the time, it didn’t affect me… as it was my special day”.
“There’s no point in talking about people who were not at the ceremony. It was just a beautiful moment for my family and I”.
“Saying no to Real Madrid was not easy, also because they treated me so well. They’ve been class with me during talks”.
