Rodri, Spain’s World Cup-winning captain, has officially signed a contract with La Liga champions Barcelona. He arrived in the city on Monday, marking the conclusion of one of the summer’s most talked-about transfer sagas.
“I’m very pleased to be here. The last few days have been intense, but I’m glad everything’s sorted. Of course, playing for Barcelona is a dream,” the 30-year-old midfielder stated upon his arrival at the airport.
Rodri expressed excitement about joining his new teammates, many of whom he knows from the national team. “I can’t wait to be with my team-mates. It’s time to get down to work and give it our all,” he added.
Rodri has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons but shone as Spain won their second World Cup in North America last month. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner landed in Barcelona the day after Manchester City and his future employers reached an agreement on a transfer fee of around 75 million euros ($87 million), according to the Catalan press.
Rodri said his aims with Barcelona would be “the Champions League and whatever else comes our way”. A source within Barcelona told AFP on Sunday that the deal would be made official “in the coming days”.
Transfer Update: Player Moves to Rivals
After an impressive seven-year stint at Manchester City, the player, previously with Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, was on the verge of joining Real Madrid. However, in a surprising turn of events, he has decided to sign with their rivals instead.
