Manchester City midfielder Rodri has refused to close the door on a potential move to Real Madrid, admitting a return to Spain would appeal to him as he enters the final year of his contract at the Etihad.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old, a Madrid native, began his career at Villarreal before joining Atletico Madrid in 2018 and moving to City a year later. In England he has won the Champions League once and four Premier League titles, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the world.
\nSpeaking to Onda Cero ahead of Spain’s friendly against Serbia, Rodri was candid about his desire to play in Spain again. “Would I like to play in Spain again, in LaLiga, in Madrid? I’d like to return, yes, obviously,” he said.<\/p>\n
When asked whether his previous connection to Atletico would prevent him from joining their city rivals Real Madrid, Rodri pointed to others who had made the same switch, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Alvaro Morata. “There are other players who have gone down that path, not straight away, but in time. You can’t turn down the best clubs in the world,” he said.<\/p>\n
Rodri is still working his way back to full fitness after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2024, but his return to form has been eagerly anticipated by club and country alike.
\nThe Spaniard also addressed his relationship with Vinicius Jr, following the controversy surrounding the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, which Real Madrid boycotted after Rodri won the award ahead of the Brazilian. “I think they wanted to pit Vinicius and me against each other, but not at all,” he said. “I have great respect for him and for everything he did that year too. In the end, it’s other people who decide who wins the Ballon d’Or.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has refused to close the door on a potential move to Real Madrid, admitting a return to Spain would appeal to him as he enters the final year of his contract at the Etihad. The 29-year-old, a Madrid native, began his career at Villarreal before joining Atletico Madrid in 2018 and moving to City a year later. In England he has won the Champions League once and four Premier League titles, establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. Speaking to Onda Cero ahead of Spain’s friendly against Serbia, Rodri was candid about his desire to play in Spain again. “Would I like to play in Spain again, in LaLiga, in Madrid? I’d like to return, yes, obviously,” he said. When asked whether his previous connection to Atletico would prevent him from joining their city rivals Real Madrid, Rodri pointed to others who had made the same switch, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Alvaro Morata. “There are other players who have gone down that path, not straight away, but in time. You can’t turn down the best clubs in the world,” he said. Rodri is still working his way back to full fitness after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2024, but his return to form has been eagerly anticipated by club and country alike. The Spaniard also addressed his relationship with Vinicius Jr, following the controversy surrounding the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, which Real Madrid boycotted after Rodri won the award ahead of the Brazilian. “I think they wanted to pit Vinicius and me against each other, but not at all,” he said. “I have great respect for him and for everything he did that year too. In the end, it’s other people who decide who wins the Ballon d’Or.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":37174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,223],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-premier-league-football-news","category-transfers"],"yoast_head":"\n