Florentino Perez’s personal misgivings are the only serious obstacle preventing Real Madrid from signing Manchester City midfielder Rodri, according to a scathing column in Spanish sports daily Marca.
Jesus Sanchez, a prominent journalist at the Madrid-based newspaper, launched a fierce attack on the Real Madrid president, arguing that Perez’s reluctance to approve the move risks turning a seemingly ideal transfer into “an impossible deal” for the European champions.
‘Recklessness or signing Rodri’
In a piece headlined “Recklessness or signing Rodri”, Sanchez says Perez is “the only person inside the club” still hesitant about bringing in the Spain international, reportedly due to concerns over the player’s injury record.
The columnist insists that every other factor is aligned for Rodri – recently crowned Ballon d’Or winner – to move to the Santiago Bernabeu, especially after his outstanding World Cup and Real Madrid’s need for a new leader in midfield following Toni Kroos’s retirement.
“قد يكون الامر برمته مرتبطا باقتناع فلورنتينو بيريز بان رودري هو اللاعب الذي يحتاجه الفريق بالفعل. كل العوامل الاخرى تبدو متوافقة. ولهذا السبب تحديدا، قد يتحول التعاقد مع رودري الى صفقة مستحيلة بالنسبة لريال مدريد. فمن يستطيع تغيير قناعة شخص يعتقد دايما انه على صواب، لانه نجح في اتخاذ القرارات الصحيحة في مناسبات عديدة؟” كتب سانشيز.
He argues that if final approval rests with Perez alone, all other details are straightforward, and that Madrid have rarely, if ever, had such a clear route to signing a reigning Ballon d’Or holder in his prime.
Fan pressure and Rodri’s desire to ‘come home’
Sanchez points to what he describes as overwhelming support within the Real Madrid fanbase and technical staff for the signing.
He cites recent celebrations at Plaza de Cibeles, the volume of calls for Rodri on social media from Madrid supporters, and the anxiety the idea is causing among rival fans as evidence that the move is widely seen as both natural and necessary.
According to the columnist, Rodri’s performances at the World Cup, after overcoming injury concerns, have reinforced the perception that he is the ideal player to dictate the tempo and give the team a clear identity in the post-Kroos era.
He also stresses the player’s supposed eagerness to return to Spain: the midfielder, who is Madrid-born, is said to be keen to swap Manchester’s weather for “the blue skies of Madrid” and “come home”.
Sanchez likens the transfer to a seed that has emerged and grown organically: all that is required, he argues, is for the club to “let it grow” rather than hold it back. The real surprise, he writes, is not that the move is being discussed, but that “it has not already been closed” and that Real Madrid have not started to “nurture this plant”.
Mourinho ‘could hold the key’
The article even suggests that Jose Mourinho – repeatedly linked with a return to Real Madrid – could be one of the very few figures capable of changing Perez’s mind.
“لماذا؟ هكذا كان سيجيب مورينيو، الذي يعد احد المدربين القلايل القادرين على تغيير راي رييس النادي، وقد يكون هو المفتاح لكشف هذا اللغز”، يكتب سانشيز.
He adds that the deal should not be tied to any departures from the current squad and warns that supporters do not want to believe the transfer might be blocked for political or dressing-room reasons.
Sanchez specifically dismisses the idea that the operation could be complicated by Rodri’s name appearing on a supposed shortlist drawn up by club adviser Juan Roman Riquelme, or by any perceived distance between Rodri and Vinicius Junior after the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Madrid’s ‘nuclear’ attack needs a conductor
The columnist argues that after two inconsistent seasons, Real Madrid must show they are again making rational, long‐term sporting decisions – and that there is “no clearer proof of good sporting management” than signing Rodri for this version of Real.
With an attack he compares to a “nuclear weapon” – Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham – Sanchez believes the side, which he says resembles the France national team in style, is missing precisely the profile Rodri offers: a midfielder to organise play, impose a game plan and provide a recognisable identity.
“فلا توجد دلالة اكبر على حسن الادارة الرياضية من التعاقد مع هذا رودري تحديدا لهذا الريال”، يشدد سانشيز، قبل ان يختتم بالقول ان ريال مدريد يحتاج ايضا الى تعزيز “الروابط العاطفية والرياضية” مع منتخب اسبانيا، الذى يصفه بانه افضل منتخب فى العالم.
“رودري يعني التطور”، يختم مقاله، فى اشارة الى ان موافقة فلورنتينو بيريز من وجهة نظره لا تتعلق بصفقة واحدة فقط، بل بمستقبل مشروع ريال مدريد باكمله.
