{"id":1477908,"date":"2026-08-07T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1477908"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:41:28","slug":"tactical-analysis-real-madrid-barcelona-rodri-transfer","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-real-madrid-barcelona-rodri-transfer\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Why Rodri should choose Barca over Los Blancos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rodri&#8217;s time at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester City<\/a> appears to be coming to an end.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Spaniard has one year left on his current deal and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> side are well aware that time is against them in their bid to retain his services. Rodri was Spain&#8217;s hero at the World Cup this summer, claiming the tournament&#8217;s Golden Ball award. It follows his Player of the Tournament won at Euro 2024 &#8212; being key to another Spanish success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just months after lifting the Euro 2024 trophy with Spain, Rodri suffered a serious ACL injury. It ruled him out for most of the 2024\/25 season, and saw him on crutches as he picked up the 2024 Ballon d&#8217;Or. Even last season, Rodri failed to hit the same heights, with just 17 league stats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few expected Rodri to dominate in the middle of the park in North America. And yet, he did. Spain ranked third for their 64% possession at the World Cup, with Rodri (811) attempting more passes than any other player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And now Rodri looks set to return to sunny Spain. With a back injury ruling Rodri out of the start of the season, it&#8217;s feasible to suggest he has already played his last Man City game. And he seemingly has his choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-why-real-madrid-want-rodri\" data-level=\"3\">Why Real Madrid want Rodri<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-barcelona-to-beat-los-blancos-for-world-cup-star\" data-level=\"3\">Barcelona to beat Los Blancos for World Cup star?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-barcelona-a-better-fit\" data-level=\"3\">Barcelona a better fit<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-why-real-madrid-want-rodri\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Real Madrid want Rodri<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/real-madrid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Real Madrid<\/a> have had a hectic summer transfer window so far. Los Blancos have already brought in Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande. The midfield, though, has been a little overlooked. They need a shield to protect the backline, particularly with Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga reportedly up for grabs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In truth, Rodri would elevate this Real Madrid side. However, off-field matters may impact their pursuit of the 30-year-old. Presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme used Rodri as a means to convince members to vote for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riquelme lost out to the Real Madrid titan himself Florentino Perez. The Los Blancos supremo is reluctant to sign a player who featured heavily in his rival\u2019s campaign. Factor in the Ballon d\u2019Or 2024 triumph, one that Vinicius Junior was expected to win, and the midfielder\u2019s advancing years, and Real Madrid are understandably reluctant to push too hard for Rodri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Read more: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-why-man-city-rodri-fits-jose-mourinho-real-madrid-perfectly\/#h-best-of-both-worlds-at-real-madrid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why Man City midfielder Rodri would fit Jose Mourinho\u2019s Real Madrid perfectly<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This comes despite their need for a tempo-setter in the style of Rodri. Jose Mourinho\u2019s current central midfield options don\u2019t bring the same control that Rodri offers in the middle of the park. It\u2019s a position full of midfield runners to allow the likes of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham the chance to wreak havoc in the final third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It would be a lot of pressure on Rodri to follow suit. Admittedly he\u2019s an intimidating figure in the middle of the park. He glides across the pitch, with his possession-retaining ability his strongest asset. However, for a player who has endured fitness issues over the past two years, relying on Rodri to cover that amount ground in the middle of the park would be detrimental to the midfielder himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-barcelona-to-beat-los-blancos-for-world-cup-star\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barcelona to beat Los Blancos for World Cup star?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Granted, Mourinho would partner Rodri with a runner in the favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. Saying that, would it really be enough to convince Real Madrid to spend big on the midfielder? And even then, would Rodri even want to play in such a setup?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1477910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/06204504\/team_-radar-comparison.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His approach is tailored towards possessional dominance. This goes some way to explaining why the player himself favours a switch to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/barcelona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Barcelona<\/a>. The Blaugrana have entered the race for Rodri as cover for the injured Frenkie de Jong. For a team that controls proceedings, it\u2019s a far better match for the player\u2019s skillset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s not to say Real Madrid didn\u2019t dominate in La Liga last season. Their 59.4% possession average was only to. Barcelona&#8217;s 69%. Hansi Flick\u2019s side boasted the best pass accuracy (90%), too. No prizes for guessing which team finished top for passes per 90 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-barcelona-a-better-fit\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barcelona a better fit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Factor in that a bulk of Rodri&#8217;s Spain teammates &#8211; Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal &#8211; ply their trade for Barcelona, and preference for red and blue over white makes sense. His style of play better suits the gameplan Flick implements. The German favours a high defensive line, which would be far less exposed with Rodri shielding the backline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A move, though, is only going to come to fruition should Barcelona sell first. They\u2019ve already signed Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. A replacement for Robert Lewandowski is also a priority, with Julian Alvarez remaining a top target. Barcelona, though, are a club that can make the transfer work. Is there another lever to pull?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rodri would be a statement signing for both Spanish sides. He\u2019s a serial winner and the best in the business in his position. If Barcelona can make the move happen, then they should be working overtime to ensure Rodri turns out at Camp Nou next season. After all, he&#8217;s better geared towards Barcelona.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\"><strong>Premier League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-title-odds\/\"><strong>Premier League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rodri&#8217;s time at Manchester City appears to be coming to an end. The Spaniard has one year left on his current deal and the Premier League side are well aware that time is against them in their bid to retain his services. Rodri was Spain&#8217;s hero at the World Cup this summer, claiming the tournament&#8217;s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1477909,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Rodri","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Rodri is wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona after starring for Spain. We compare who suits the Man City star best.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1477908","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Why Rodri should choose Barca over Los Blancos | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rodri is wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona after starring for Spain. We compare who suits the Man City star best.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-real-madrid-barcelona-rodri-transfer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Why Rodri should choose Barca over Los Blancos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rodri is wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona after starring for Spain. 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