{"id":72751,"date":"2026-08-19T17:50:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/72751\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T17:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:50:22","slug":"madrids-mourinho-shrugs-off-rodri-miss-after-his-move-to-barcelona-i-dont-need-rodri-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/72751\/","title":{"rendered":"Madrid’s Mourinho Shrugs off Rodri Miss After His Move to Barcelona: ‘I Don’t Need Rodri’"},"content":{"rendered":"

MADRID (AP) \u2014 Jos\u00e9 Mourinho is confident Real Madrid will be fine without Rodri despite admitting the club made \u201ca very good offer\u201d to try to sign the Spain captain.<\/p>\n

Mourinho, back with Madrid for a second stint, said he spoke twice with Rodri as Madrid considered adding the World Cup’s best player to its squad, but felt the midfielder didn’t seem certain about his future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe club contacted him but he had some doubts,\u201d Mourinho said in an interview to TV show \u201dEl Chiringuito” late Tuesday. “What I think happened is that his doubts have created doubts for me. He\u2019s an extraordinary player and was very correct with us. But I think Real Madrid is of such a stature that it can\u2019t have players who think twice about being with the club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just hours before Rodri’s signing was made official by Barcelona on Tuesday, Mourinho was officially presented<\/a> by Madrid in an unusual ceremony closed to the media and fans. <\/p>\n

Mourinho, who was hired in June<\/a> and took over in July at the start of the preseason, downplayed the importance of Rodri to Madrid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t need Rodri. We have solutions, quality players,” Mourinho said, adding that he didn’t think Barcelona got the best of Madrid by signing the midfielder. \u201cVictories are won on the field, they are won with titles.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a second consecutive season without a major title, the club has bought players such as Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konat\u00e9, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Yan Diomande.<\/p>\n

Mourinho said the club does not intend to make new signings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying there won\u2019t be any more signings because the market is still open, but if you ask me directly if it’s closed (for Madrid), yes, it\u2019s closed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Madrid opens in La Liga on Saturday at Espanyol.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The\u00a0Associated Press<\/a>. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See: August 2026<\/p>\n

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