Best player at the World Cup, Rodri is now being chased by Barcelona AND Real Madrid at the same time
Named the best player at the World Cup with Spain, Rodri has become a simultaneous transfer target for Barcelona and Real Madrid. The saga over the Manchester City midfielder is heating up.
Best player at the World Cup. Champion with Spain. And now, the hottest name on the European transfer market. Rodri has become a saga — and it just got a new chapter this Thursday.
According to Trivela, Barcelona have entered the race for the Manchester City midfielder, who had already been on Real Madrid's radar for at least a month. The Catalans are banking on their own trump cards to get ahead of their rivals in the chase.
The timing is no coincidence. Rodri was named the best player of the tournament during the campaign that delivered the world title to Spain — the kind of prestige that makes any club open its wallet and rethink its priorities.
In Golmetria's model, Spain appears as the heavy favourite for the 2026 World Cup title, with a 75% chance of lifting the trophy. It is the perfect backdrop for a player who already carries the best-in-the-world label in his luggage.
Meanwhile, the market assigns Spain a far lower implied probability — around 16% — a divergence that shows just how much the model believes in this generation.
For Rodri, the question is no longer whether he will leave City. It is which side of Madrid he will walk towards — or whether he will go at all. The saga continues.