How a 'secret lunch' took Rodri away from Real Madrid and sent him to Barcelona

Rodri's arrival at Barcelona in early August was one of the biggest twists of this transfer window. Rivals Real Madrid had everything agreed with the midfielder just a month earlier, in an equally unlikely story.

Real Madrid, having 'snubbed' the player before the World Cup due to doubts over his physical condition and his tactical fit with Jose Mourinho, changed their stance following Spain's World Cup title, with the 30-year-old named the best player of the tournament.

They had almost everything lined up to complete the deal with Manchester City, with whom the Madrid giants enjoy a good relationship.

However, a meal during the Spanish international's holiday changed everything, as revealed by The Athletic in a lengthy report on the behind-the-scenes story of Rodri's departure from England and his arrival in Spain.

Deco met Rodri to pave the way to Barcelona

At the end of the World Cup, Rodri went on holiday to the Costa Brava, on the Catalan coastline, a tourist destination with breathtaking scenery, where he was due to attend a friend's wedding on 25 July.

Having arrived a few days before the celebration, he had time to enjoy himself, and also to change the course of his career.

The player asked locals in the area to recommend a discreet restaurant nearby. He wanted to have lunch 'without being noticed', as the outlet reported.

He went to a traditional establishment on the coast, usually frequented by locals, and asked for a table. Within minutes, Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, arrived for a conversation that changed the entire picture at that moment. The location was so discreet that no images of the meeting ever leaked.

The Catalan executive appears to have won the player over. With almost everything agreed with Real Madrid, the midfielder and his representatives continued talks with Barcelona right up until another in-person meeting, on 5 August, in Madrid, two days before the first offer was made for him.

The Catalan side, however, were still not fully convinced about the signing.

Barcelona feared a repeat of the Bernardo Silva case

Deco and president Joan Laporta's leadership negotiated with Rodri with 'extreme caution and care'. The idea was to avoid a repeat of the Bernardo Silva situation.

The Portuguese midfielder, also a former Manchester City player, was without a club and had a verbal agreement with Barcelona. The 30-year-old continued listening to other offers, received contact from Real Madrid via Jose Mourinho, and changed his mind, joining Real Madrid instead.

That episode taught Barcelona a lesson: following the 'Deco model', the club kept very few people informed of the negotiations with the Spanish midfielder and demanded full guarantees from the player before even entering talks with Manchester City.

For Rodri, a move to Catalonia was more appealing, as he believed he would fit better into Barcelona's style of play, closer to that of the Spain national team, than at Real Madrid, according to The Athletic. The club's manager, Hansi Flick, even personally stepped in to explain how important the midfielder would be within Barcelona's young squad.

Real Madrid attempted one final move as they watched their rivals push forward for a player who was expected to become a technical and leadership pillar of their squad following the departures of Toni Kroos (2024) and Luka Modric (2025).

The outlet reported that Florentino Perez's leadership asked players and people close to Rodri to try to convince him. It did not work.

After two rejected offers, Deco and Laporta reached the figure Manchester City wanted: £51.3 million fixed, plus a further £9.4 million in bonuses.

'Barcelona is a fantastic club, a global benchmark for its approach to football and the values it represents. I had other options, but Barcelona was my first choice, and I made that clear to Laporta' - Rodri said at his official unveiling at the club last Tuesday.

'I had other options, but Barcelona was my first choice, and that is exactly what I made a point of telling Laporta' - he added.

Announced on Barcelona's social media as the 'master of space-time', Rodri arrives to lift the level of Flick's midfield and is expected to become the man responsible for starting attacks, dictating tempo and also acting as a defensive anchor.

However, he does not yet have a confirmed debut date, as he continues to recover from minor back surgery.