Rodri sang Barcelona’s anthem at a wedding. Two days later, he chose the club
FC Barcelona have a habit of turning transfers into soap operas. This time, however, the script looked more like a romantic comedy: a wedding on the Costa Brava, the club anthem and a discreet meeting with Deco. According to Cadena SER, those were the circumstances in which the move for Rodri began to gather serious momentum.
One of the key figures in the story was reportedly Dani Codina, Barcelona’s current first-team manager. He previously worked at Manchester City, where he became a close friend of Rodri. When Codina held his wedding in Girona on 25 July, the Spain captain attended the ceremony.
Rodri had spent several days on the Costa Brava before the wedding. During that stay, he reportedly met Deco at a restaurant. Barcelona’s sporting director tried to convince him to join the club, but the first conversation ended without an agreement.
Things became considerably less formal at the wedding. Nil Solà told Cadena SER’s El Larguero that Rodri relaxed during the celebration and even sang Barcelona’s anthem. There was no shirt and no signed contract at that stage, but his choice of song was hardly neutral.
Two days later, the midfielder met Deco again. This time, the talks took place at the Meliá Barcelona hotel and Rodri’s agent was also present. Cadena SER describes it as the decisive meeting, during which the player became convinced that Barcelona was the right destination.
Real Madrid continued trying to change his mind. After Rodri informed the club of his decision, Madrid reportedly returned with an improved proposal, offering to raise financial terms that had initially reached €15 million net. A five-year contract was also on the table.
Rodri reportedly explained that neither money nor the length of the deal had determined his choice. He preferred Barcelona because he believed their footballing philosophy and playing style suited him better. During his official presentation, he later confirmed that Barça had always been his first option.
Barcelona and Manchester City have now formally announced the transfer. Rodri has signed a contract running until 30 June 2030.
In the end, Barcelona’s biggest move of the summer did not begin with a press conference, a presentation or the inevitable “here we go”. It began at a wedding. And when Rodri started singing the club anthem, Real Madrid probably did not yet realise that they were hearing an unofficial transfer announcement.
