Courtois Responds to Rodri's Decision to Join Barcelona
Thibaut Courtois did not bother dressing it up.
Asked about Rodri’s decision to turn his back on Real Madrid and sign for Barcelona, the 34-year-old goalkeeper delivered his verdict with the same blunt edge he brings to his penalty area.
“Every player chooses where they want to be. If he didn't want to be with us, well, that's a pity... for him,” Courtois said after Real Madrid’s dramatic win over Espanyol. “In the end, he's a great player, but he made his choice, and that's it.”
No nostalgia. No pleading. Just a line drawn.
The subplot had been simmering all weekend. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner was reportedly staying at the same hotel as the Real Madrid squad in Catalonia in the build-up to the Espanyol game, a detail that only fuelled speculation over how close he had come to joining Los Blancos.
Courtois, again, brushed it aside.
“He stays in our hotel? Well, the hotel is big, there will be many people there,” he added, swatting away the intrigue as if it were a routine cross.
If Courtois framed it as the player’s choice, Jose Mourinho went a step further and explained why Rodri never walked through the doors of Valdebebas.
The new Real Madrid coach confirmed the club had pushed hard. The interest was real, the offer substantial, and the relationship with Manchester City more than workable.
“I spoke to him a couple of times and Real Madrid made him a very good offer,” Mourinho revealed. “I think there is a very good relationship with City. Without negotiating with City, the club made contact with Rodri, they made him a major offer. Rodri had doubts, he hesitated and Rodri’s doubts created doubts for me.”
That was the turning point. The hesitation.
For Mourinho, uncertainty from a potential signing is not a minor detail; it is a red flag. The Portuguese coach made it clear that the club’s stature demands immediate conviction, not prolonged reflection.
Real Madrid, he implied, do not wait around to be convinced.
Mourinho also moved quickly to shut down the idea that missing out on Rodri leaves his midfield exposed. No hint of regret, no suggestion of scrambling for alternatives.
“I am not lacking Rodri,” he said, firmly. “We are not lacking players. I’m not saying there won’t be any more signings because the market is open, but if you ask me directly if it’s closed for me… yes. It is closed. I really like the squad.”
The message from Madrid is clear: Rodri chose Barcelona, Madrid chose to move on. The question now is whether that decision will define the season, or simply become a footnote in a campaign shaped by those who did say yes.
