Rodri Reveals Mourinho Personally Called to Try to Convince Him to Join Real Madrid

Barcelona's summer signing Rodri has revealed that Jose Mourinho reached out to him personally in an effort to persuade him to join Real Madrid instead of Barcelona.

The move to Barcelona is seen as one of the biggest transfers in recent La Liga history, coming after a hugely successful spell under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The 30-year-old midfielder found himself caught in the middle of a fierce battle between Spain's two biggest clubs before deciding on Barcelona.

Rodri confirmed that Mourinho had been in direct contact to explain his vision for the player at Real Madrid. He said he was surprised details of the conversation had become public but was keen to keep the exchange respectful.

"Well, I don't think it's his place to reveal a private conversation, but obviously he expressed his desire for me to go and what I could contribute to the team," Rodri told Mundo Deportivo. "The treatment was very good. When I made the decision I also called him to thank him for the interest and the treatment. I think he's a fantastic coach; he's already proven that wherever he's gone during his successful spells, and Real Madrid is going to be a tough rival in this league."

Rodri said he appreciated the interest from Madrid but always felt more drawn to what Barcelona were building, while still wanting to show respect given Mourinho's standing in the game.

There were also reports during the window that Rodri's possible links to presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme may have cooled Madrid's interest, but the midfielder said he was largely unaware of that noise at the time, as his focus was elsewhere.

"Honestly, I lived on the sidelines of all this because it happened, if I remember correctly, in the World Cup and I was focused with my national team on achieving what is today the most important milestone I have achieved," Rodri said.

In the end, Barcelona won out over Real Madrid's efforts, including Mourinho's personal pitch and any political factors swirling around the deal. Rodri's arrival is viewed as a major moment for Barcelona as they look to reassert themselves both domestically and in Europe, with his ability to control games and read danger seen as key qualities the club wanted to add. With Real Madrid set to be Barcelona's main rivals for the title this season, Rodri will now regularly come up against the manager he chose not to join.