Brazilian winger rejected a move to Barcelona before moving to Real Madrid

Given the immense success of Neymar, Barcelona have always kept close tabs on Santos over their upcoming talents, in the past decade or so.

In 2019, they were close to signing one such talent, in the form of Rodrygo. Currently plying his trade for Real Madrid, the young forward had the option to join the Catalans three years ago, with his father citing the opportunity to play with Lionel Messi.

As revealed by Rodrygo himself in the Jota Jota podcast (h/t Mundo Deportivo), his father had already signed a personal agreement with Barcelona, but he insisted on waiting out for an offer from Real Madrid.

“Waiting for Madrid? You’re going to play with Messi,” his father replied. The offer from Real Madrid arrived soon after, leaving the forward with no hesitation.

“On a normal day, I came home after a game. My father came into the room with a Real Madrid shirt and a Barça shirt. He asked me to choose one. I chose the Real Madrid one,” Rodrygo revealed.

The Brazilian joined the capital club in 2019, for a fee of around €45 million. He was brought in a long-term investment for Los Blancos, and the forward is yet to disappoint.

He notably starred in Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning campaign this past season. His late cameo against Manchester City helped his team reach the final, where a second-half goal from his compatriot Vinicius Junior was enough to seal the 14th UCL title for Real Madrid.