Rodri leaves Man City for Barcelona after seven seasons

Rodri has left Manchester City to join Barcelona, subject to international clearance, ending a seven-year spell at the Etihad Stadium in which he became one of the most decorated midfielders in the club's history.

The 30-year-old made 298 appearances for City, scoring 28 goals and winning 14 major trophies before his departure.

Across his time at the club, Rodri collected four Premier League titles, three League Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. His second-half strike in the 2023 Champions League final against Internazionale in Istanbul proved the decisive moment of City's historic Treble-winning campaign, earning him both player of the match and player of the tournament honours.

In 2024, Rodri became the first Manchester City player to win the Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual award in world football. A serious knee injury sustained in September of that year ruled him out for the best part of a year, but he returned in 2025 and contributed to City's 2026 Carabao Cup and FA Cup successes.

On the international stage, Rodri was instrumental in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph and captained the national side to 2026 World Cup glory, also winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. He has earned 70 caps for Spain to date.

Rodri joined City from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019. His role in four successive Premier League title wins — including a decisive goal in a 3-1 win over West Ham on the final day of the 2023/24 season — underlined his importance to Pep Guardiola's squad.

"I am leaving the Club with a huge sense of pride about what we have achieved and gratitude too for so many amazing memories," Rodri said. "These seven years have been incredible. I have cherished every moment of what we achieved together and will always carry Manchester City in my heart."

City director of football Hugo Viana paid tribute to the departing midfielder. "Rodri has been a quite magnificent servant and played a huge part of what the Club has achieved since he arrived," Viana said. "With his achievements, Rodri has more than cemented his place in the history of Manchester City and we all wish him well in the next chapter of his career."