Barcelona star admits Real Madrid ‘made my decision difficult’ this summer

Barcelona star admits Real Madrid ‘made my decision difficult’ this summer

class="wp-block-paragraph">Barcelona star Rodri has this week admitted that the decision to opt for the Blaugrana over arch rivals Real Madrid was not an easy one to make.

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class="wp-block-paragraph">Midfielder Rodri of course emerged as the headline figure in the media headlines across his home country of Spain for several weeks this past summer.

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class="wp-block-paragraph">This came after word was forthcoming that both of the aforementioned Barcelona and Real Madrid had set their sights firmly on his signature.

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class="wp-block-paragraph">At one point, upon the 30-year-old making public his desire to depart Manchester City, the latter were considered the clear favourites to strike a deal.

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class="wp-block-paragraph">In the end, however, Rodri’s personal preference proved decisive, with the former Ballon d’Or winner having concluded that Hansi Flick’s Barca setup was more suited to his characteristics than José Mourinho’s Real Madrid.

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class="wp-block-paragraph">As alluded to above, though, those in a position of power at the Santiago Bernabéu ensured that this was not an easy call to make. Speaking during an interview with COPE, as cited by journalist Fabrizio Romano, this week, Rodri admitted:

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class="wp-block-paragraph">“Real Madrid really tried hard. They wanted to sign me, we had direct talks and they came with everything they had to make it happen. They made my decision difficult. I am grateful. Speaking with Florentino Pérez too? I am not gonna say that.”

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class="wp-block-paragraph">Conor Laird – GSFN