Rodri could soon be a Real Madrid player, but what will he bring to Jose Mourinho’s side?
The Athletic reported on Friday that Madrid are working on a deal to sign the 30-year-old Manchester City and Spain midfielder. City are hopeful he will remain part of their squad for the 2026-27 season.
Rodri became a Ballon d’Or winner and a World Cup champion while at City. If he did sign for Madrid, he would be returning to the city of his birth after seven years away.
Here, we look at just how he could prove to be a strong tactical fit at the Bernabeu and what it means for the rest of Madrid’s team.
What are Rodri’s strengths?
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is a reference point for Manchester City and Spain: a dressing-room leader who dictates the game on the pitch.
Looking at The Athletic’s player dashboard — which outlines a player’s role and key strengths — his profile is perfectly suited as the tempo controller. Punched balls through the lines are certainly within his skill set, but those circulating passes left and right are his bread and butter as he wears the opposition down into submission.
No Premier League player (with 900-plus minutes played) averaged more than Rodri’s 96.3 passes per 90 minutes in 2025-26. He is the release valve for pressure, the catalyst for ball progression, and the man you trust most often to get on the ball and make the team tick.
It was no surprise, then, that City felt his absence so acutely during the months he spent sidelined last season, dealing with a series of muscular and knee problems, some of them related to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he suffered in his right knee at the start of the previous campaign.
“Rodri is an exceptional player. Everybody knows that,” then-City manager Pep Guardiola said in October 2025. “But the question isn’t simply whether he’ll return to his best after six, seven or eight months of recovery. When will the real Rodri be back? At the 2026 World Cup with Spain. That’s when you’ll see the best Rodri — and next season too.”
Guardiola’s words proved prophetic.
Rodri was the outstanding player at the World Cup, producing his best performances when the stakes were highest: against Portugal, Belgium, France and Argentina in the final.
He did not need to score to leave his mark on those matches. Instead, he controlled Spain’s rhythm and repeatedly found space between the lines, giving his team the platform to dismantle even the most disciplined defensive blocks.
Why do Madrid need him?
Aside from Rodri’s leadership qualities and status as a leading Spanish player, Madrid have long needed a midfielder like him.
Luka Modric’s exit in 2025 deepened problems in that position which had already been seen after Toni Kroos’ retirement the previous year. While those within the club insisted Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler could fill the role and resisted the idea of signing a replacement, Rodri offers something different — he can fill that void while bringing the best out of those around him.
For the past two seasons, Madrid have struggled to consistently control matches or impose their style of play, an issue senior figures have privately acknowledged in conversation with The Athletic, having asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships.
Aurelien Tchouameni or Eduardo Camavinga were the pair who were often asked to be the pivoting midfielder last season, but neither has been able to offer the tempo control that Kroos had previously managed.
Guler’s deeper role began successfully under coach Xabi Alonso at the start of last season, but the Turkey international failed to consistently show the authority required to dictate Madrid’s build-up before he returned to his familiar role further up the field.
If it is press resistance that you are looking for, then there are few players in European football better equipped to protect the ball than Rodri. Using data from SkillCorner from the 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons (removing his injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign), his ball retention under pressure stacks up as one of the best among Europe’s midfielders in the top five leagues.
Will he fit in under Mourinho?
Not exactly, but he could prove highly effective.
As The Athletic previously reported, Mourinho wanted another midfield option, and Rodri’s arrival would fulfil that request.
But even though the coaching staff appreciate the Spaniard’s quality, he is not necessarily the type of midfielder Mourinho usually has in his team. His sides are not built on dominating possession and controlling games with the ball, but rather around their organisation and work without it.
Rodri is viewed as a player who is at his best when he can influence matches with the ball rather than having to chase it. That said, he can provide structure, balance and the ability to bring order to this team.
With the wily experience he offers in the centre of the pitch, Rodri will often position himself in excellent defensive positions when his team have the ball — allowing him to pounce and counterpress to sustain attacks and retain his side’s territorial dominance.
A perfect example of this can be seen this summer, where Spain team-mate Lamine Yamal loses possession in the penalty area.
The first man on the scene? Rodri, as he quickly closes down Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer to retrieve the ball and quickly release it to Dani Olmo as Spain continue their pressure.
In a Mourinho team, do not be surprised to see this particular muscle being flexed.
Could Rodri turn Madrid into Champions League/La Liga contenders?
It remains to be seen whether Rodri can hold up physically over a full season in the same way he did over the month-long World Cup. He is set to undergo back surgery, as The Athletic has reported, although new City coach Enzo Maresca told a press conference the procedure will be a minor one.
If he can remain in optimal condition, Rodri could bring structure and solidity to an ambitious Madrid side. If he is able to help them find the right balance with so many attacking stars in Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, his arrival would already represent a success.
Madrid are hurting from two years without winning a major trophy. This move takes them one step closer to ending what by their standards is a drought.
