Jose Mourinho is back for a second spell at Real Madrid who, he says, didn\u2019t need Barcelona\u2019s new signing Rodri.<\/p>\n
Published On 19 Aug 202619 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
Jose 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
Rodri officially signed<\/a> with Madrid\u2019s rival Barcelona after a transfer from Manchester City on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n Mourinho, back with Madrid<\/a> for a second stint, said he spoke twice with Rodri as Madrid considered adding the World Cup\u2019s best player to its squad, but felt the midfielder didn\u2019t seem certain about his future.<\/p>\n \u201cThe club contacted him, but he had some doubts,\u201d Mourinho said in an interview with the TV show El Chiringuito late Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I think happened is that his doubts have created doubts for me. He\u2019s an extraordinary player and was very correct with us.<\/p>\n \u201cBut 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\u2019s signing was made official by Barcelona on Tuesday, Mourinho was officially presented by Madrid in an unusual ceremony closed to the media and fans.<\/p>\n Mourinho, who was hired in June and took over in July at the start of the preseason, downplayed the importance of Rodri to Madrid.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need Rodri. We have solutions, quality players,\u201d Mourinho said, adding that he didn\u2019t think Barcelona got the best of Madrid by signing the midfielder.<\/p>\n \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 Konate, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva<\/a> and Yan Diomande<\/a>.<\/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\u2019s closed [for Madrid], yes, it\u2019s closed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n