Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Marc Cucurella revealed he sent Rodri a “subtle message” to join him at Real Madrid this summer before the midfielder opted to join Clasico rivals Barcelona.
Cucurella was a part of a summer rebuild at Madrid, with the Spanish international joining Los Blancos for a reported €55m (£47.5m) transfer fee from Chelsea.
The likes of Yan Diomande, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva also moved to the Spanish capital, with Rodri another player linked with a move to Madrid.
However, Rodri decided against linking up with Jose Mourinho and instead joined Hansi Flick at Barcelona, signing for a reported €76.5m (£65m) from Manchester City.
Cucurella and Rodri’s moves came after helping Spain to the second World Cup crown this summer, with the latter scooping the Golden Ball along the way for his performances.
Spain are preparing for their first match since beating Argentina in the final, with England their opponents in the first match of their Nations League campaign this Saturday.
But speaking ahead of their trip to Wembley Stadium, Cucurella said that he openly tried to sway Rodri’s decision in an attempt to play alongside him at club level.
“I don’t really like pressuring or influencing team-mates,” Cucurella said. “These are personal things.
“It’s true that I sent him a subtle message, before the news broke, saying I hoped we’d become team-mates.
“He replied, but didn’t give anything away. I’m happy for him [at Barca], though I hope he doesn’t have too much success.”
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 18, 2026
Rodri has enjoyed a perfect start to life with Barcelona, helping the Blaugrana begin their LaLiga title defence with seven wins from seven matches so far.
Only Pau Cubarsi (456), Eric Garcia (393), Pedri (391) and Gerard Martin (378) have completed more successful passes in the league for Barcelona than Rodri (368), while he also ranks third in Flick’s squad for tackles won (eight).
Barcelona have started a LaLiga season with seven wins in their first seven games for the fourth time, after doing so in 2013-14, 2017-18 and 2024-25, and they already find themselves six points ahead of Madrid in the table.
Madrid lost their second league game of the season last Sunday, going down 2-1 to city rivals Atletico Madrid after Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half.
Mourinho is already coming under pressure early in his second stint in the Madrid dugout, though Cucurella believes his team are more than capable of turning things around.
“We didn’t finish the period before the break in the best way,” Cucurella added. “It’s all a process, but the important thing is to build a solid foundation.
“Let’s see if we can find a good balance and build a strong, united group. If the season ends the way we all want it to, no one will remember the start.”
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