It's safe to say that Manchester City midfielder Rodri is not the most popular player amongst the Real Madrid faithful. 

Back in 2024, he pipped Vinicius to the Ballon d'Or for the 23/24 season, having won the Premier League with Manchester City, as well as the European Championships with Spain. 

Plus, the midfielder also spent a year at Los Blancos' city rivals, Atletico Madrid, in the 18/19 season, before making the move to the North West of England. 

However, it would appear that animosity is not a feeling that is shared by Rodri himself. Indeed not - in the past, the Spanish international has praised Real Madrid as a club. 

Well, he has gone one further with his praise this time. When being interviewed on Spain duty during this international break, the 30-year-old showed his interest in a move to the Spanish capital. 

To begin, he was asked if he would like to return to La Liga, where he responded: "I would like to return (one day), yes, obviously. Before being asked: "Did someone tell you if the president or general director of Real Madrid would like you?" 

Rodri answered with: "(Laughs) I don't know. They wouldn't talk to me, they'd talk to my agent." Finally, he was asked: "Is it a closed door for you to play for Real Madrid since you played for Atletico Madrid before?" to finish off the interview. 

In response, his answer was: "No, no. There have been many players who took this road, not directly but with time. For me, you cannot refuse the best clubs in the world." 

For the quotes with Radioestadio Noche, you can click here. 

Well, certainly some strong comments from the midfielder. Usually footballers are a bit more lowkey than that, a bit robotic, a bit generic. Media trained, all of that. But in this instance, Rodri was pretty clear in his intentions. 

As for the fit, it is certainly interesting. He is 30-years old and suffered an ACL injury in the last two years. But he is certainly an incredible player. In the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, he showed he can still do it at the highest level. 

Real Madrid have missed a controlling midfielder since Toni Kroos and then Luka Modric left the club. They have lots of physicality and mobility, but lack a pass-first midfielder. Plus, Rodri's physical struggles would be well covered up with the likes of Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde in the midfield. Let's see. 

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