When you think about the greatest sports rivalries on Earth, the Spanish Clasico will probably come to mind. The derby between Real Madrid and Barcelona has years of history, and it's a fixture every soccer fan highlights on the calendar.
Despite the distance between the Spanish capital and the Catalan city, the tension between these LaLiga giants is high. When a player commits to one of these clubs, he's practically closing the door on playing for the rivals in the future—though, of course, there have been some exceptions.
Fans never take it lightly when a player makes the switch, plus they're not usually interested in having a former rival donning their colors anyway. Rodrygo is well aware of this, which is why he turned down Barca when Madrid knocked on his door.
Rodrygo reveals he had everything agreed with Barcelona before joining Real Madrid
“When my father told me the news... I always tell this story. I had two shirts: one for Barca and one for Real Madrid and I had to choose. It was very easy for me to choose. But it was all agreed with Barcelona, it was a surprise for me, I didn’t expect Real Madrid to come. It was a scare but then it was one of the happiest moments of my life," Rodrygo told Goal.
The Brazilian winger was the subject of a tug-o-war between the Spanish rivals in 2019, though Madrid joined the race much later than Barcelona. According to the 22-year-old, he had everything ready for a Camp Nou move until Los Blancos stepped in.
In the end, Madrid signed Rodrygo for $48 million from Santos. Outbiding Barcelona proved to be worth it, since Rodrygo has already helped the Merengues win seven trophies.
