Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo has revealed that he turned down the chance to join Barcelona in order to move to Bernabeu from Santos.
The Brazilian was regarded as one of the brightest youngsters in world football during his time at Santos, representing the club on 54 occasions, scoring 13 times and recording six assists in the process.
Real Madrid reached an agreement to sign the forward in June 2018, and he then moved to the Spanish capital one year later, signing a contract until 2025.
The 22-year-old has now made 166 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions, scoring 38 goals and registering 32 assists in the process, winning two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup during his time in Madrid.
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Rodrygo has claimed that "practically everything was done with Barcelona", with the Brazilian close to moving to Camp Nou before Real Madrid swooped in at the final moment to agree a deal with Santos.
"Practically everything was done with Barcelona, we just needed to sign. I asked my dad: 'Is there nothing from Real Madrid?' There was nothing," Rodrygo told GE Globo.
"I asked to wait for the weekend because we had a game. I said 'I'm going to tear it up and Real Madrid will see me.'
"My father got mad at me. 'Are you kidding me? We have an offer from Barcelona. You're going to play with [Lionel] Messi and you want me to wait?'
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"I went to the game, I scored three goals and gave an assist. During the game, Real Madrid called my father. The next day, my father left without saying anything.
"He came back later, went straight into my room, and had a Real Madrid and a Barcelona shirt. He threw them to me and said: 'Choose.' I didn't even think about it, it was Real Madrid."
Rodrygo was on the scoresheet in Real Madrid's first La Liga game of the season on Saturday, helping Carlo Ancelotti's side record a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
The Brazilian played alongside Vinicius Junior as part of a front two at San Mames, with Ancelotti expected to use a 4-3-1-2 formation this season following the departure of Karim Benzema over the summer.
Matt Law
