Mourinho did not need Rodri
It took José Mourinho two days to promote Rodri from a player Real Madrid supposedly did not need to “the icing on the cake”. This is still not an official admission of defeat in the transfer market. Real Madrid may not produce that particular type of document.
Mourinho returned to the subject during his press conference ahead of the league match against Espanyol. He acknowledged that the Spain midfielder would have been an excellent addition to his squad.
“We are not lacking anything. Rodri would have been the icing on the cake,” Mourinho said. “He is a great player with a lot of experience, but when you have Tchouaméni, Valverde, Bernardo or Arda, who can play in those positions, you realise that we are not going to have any problems.”
On its own, the answer is perfectly reasonable. Real Madrid clearly possess several high-quality options in midfield. It becomes more interesting when placed next to Mourinho’s comments immediately after Rodri completed his move to Barcelona.
Speaking to El Chiringuito, the Portuguese coach revealed that he had talked to Rodri twice and that Real Madrid had made the player a very good offer. According to Mourinho, the midfielder had doubts about the move. Those doubts then created doubts on Madrid’s side as well.
“Real Madrid are so big that they cannot have players who need to think twice,” Mourinho explained. “You contact a player and he asks: ‘When do you want me there?’ That is how it works.”
Mourinho then delivered the firmer version of the message: “I don’t need Rodri.” The squad was complete, Madrid’s transfer business was effectively finished and the missing midfielder was suddenly no longer missing. A familiar recovery process whenever a transfer ends with the player signing somewhere else.
There is no complete contradiction here. The icing on the cake is, by definition, not essential. Mourinho can believe that his current squad is strong enough while also accepting that Rodri would have improved it. Still, Madrid did not speak to the midfielder twice and make him an important offer simply to ask whether he was free for coffee.
Rodri eventually chose Barcelona and signed a contract running until 30 June 2030. During his presentation, he said the Catalan club had always been his first choice. Mourinho responded by insisting that victories are achieved on the pitch and measured in trophies, not transfer deals. He is right.
The football will begin soon enough. For now, Barcelona have Rodri, while Real Madrid have enough excellent midfielders to explain why they never truly needed him. Even if he would have looked rather good on top of the cake.
