How Barcelona beat Real Madrid to Rodri's transfer

Sign up to The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/tifofootball 📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: https://linktr.ee/tifobook Real Madrid thought they had captured the signature of Rodri; the former Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup-winning captain had even admitted in an interview that he “could not turn down” the opportunity to play for Real. Yet in August 2026 it was Real’s arch rivals, Barcelona, that announced the signing of the Man City talisman. So what happened: how did Barcelona beat Real Madrid to the Rodri transfer? This is the story of the ev