Even the Spain national team manager thought it was happening. Luis de la Fuente has gone on record to admit that during the summer transfer window, he was fully convinced that Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was on his way to Real Madrid — only for the midfielder to ultimately choose Barcelona instead.
What De la Fuente Said
Speaking in an interview with COPE, as cited by journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Spain head coach gave a remarkably candid insight into how close the deal appeared to be. “There were moments when I thought that Rodri was going to join Real Madrid,” De la Fuente said. “I have a very good relationship with him, so I know where things were going.”
That quote speaks volumes. This isn’t a pundit speculating from the outside — this is someone with a personal relationship with Rodri, someone who was having direct conversations with him throughout the process. If De la Fuente believed it was Madrid, it’s fair to say Real Madrid themselves had serious reason to believe a deal was within reach.
How the Saga Unfolded
To recap: after Rodri made clear he would be leaving Manchester City following a remarkable individual and collective career at the Etihad — which included winning the Ballon d’Or — Real Madrid were almost immediately identified as the frontrunners. From Madrid’s perspective, the logic was obvious. The departure of club legend Toni Kroos left a gaping hole in the engine room of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield, and Rodri — a commanding, deep-lying playmaker with World Cup and European Championship gold to his name — looked tailor-made to fill it.
Florentino Pérez and the Madrid hierarchy reportedly pushed hard to get a deal done, working on terms with both club and player. For a period, it genuinely looked like one of the most natural fits in world football was about to become a reality. And then it didn’t. Rodri chose Barcelona. He chose the club’s arch rivals. The Camp Nou over the Bernabéu.
The reasons behind that call remain something of a mystery publicly, but De la Fuente’s comments confirm what many suspected: this wasn’t Madrid being dismissed out of hand from the start. There was a genuine process, and at some point along the way, the pendulum swung toward Barça.
What It Means for Real Madrid
For Madrid supporters, this one still stings. Losing out on Rodri would sting in any circumstance — losing him to Barcelona makes it considerably worse. The 30-year-old is arguably the best defensive midfielder in world football right now, and seeing him line up in blaugrana colours for the foreseeable future rather than in white is a bitter pill to swallow.
The midfield question hasn’t gone away for Madrid. While Ancelotti has talented options — Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham further forward — the specific profile of a commanding, disciplined deep-lying midfielder in the Kroos mould hasn’t truly been replaced. Rodri would have been the perfect solution. Now Madrid must look elsewhere, whether in future transfer windows or by developing what they already have.
There’s also a broader footballing consequence to consider. Rodri at Barcelona doesn’t just strengthen a direct rival — it potentially transforms them. A team built around Pedri, Gavi, Yamal, and now Rodri pulling the strings from deep is a genuinely frightening prospect for every El Clásico between now and whenever Rodri hangs up his boots.
For now, Madridistas can only reflect on what might have been — and take some cold comfort in the fact that, according to the Spain manager himself, it really did come close.
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