Thank goodness I didn't join Barcelona — Real Madrid star reveals how he rejected LALIGA champions

Real Madrid winger Rodrygo revealed that he came close to joining Barcelona and had even reached an agreement with the Blaugrana. However, he said he is happy he eventually signed for Los Blancos, as the 15-time UCL winners were his dream club.

Speaking in a recent interview with AS editor-in-chief Tomás Roncero, Rodrigo explained that the agreement to join Barcelona was close before he received an offer from Real Madrid, after which he wasted no time in accepting their offer. 

“Before I signed for Real Madrid, everything was set with Barcelona,” he revealed. “But when my father came to me and asked me to choose, the decision was easy. I knew what I wanted; I knew what my dream was, and that's what happened."

Rodrygo said that he would have joined Barcelona had the opportunity to sign for Real Madrid never arrived. When the reporter asked if he was grateful not to have joined the Blaugrana, he replied, saying:

"Absolutely. I was at Santos and started playing well; then Barcelona came along. A big club that I respect a lot. My dream was always to play for Real Madrid, but I have respect for all clubs, and Barcelona is a big club."

"I couldn't wait for Real Madrid any longer, so I told my father, 'Let's wait a little. We waited a bit, and Madrid's offer came."