Rodrygo: The Most Talked About Real Madrid Transfer That Never Happened

With Real Madrid’s La Liga title hopes on the line, Carlo Ancelotti benched Rodrygo in the final El Clásico of the season, kickstarting what would soon become a summer-long transfer saga.

Two years ago, the prospect of Rodrygo leaving the Spanish capital would have been laughable. Although he often was outshined by Vinícius Júnior, the winger was an irreplaceable member of Los Blancos’ XI, helping the club win two Champions League and three La Liga titles since he joined the club in 2019.

Rodrygo’s European heroics against Manchester City alone turned the forward into a hero under the lights at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Yet when Real Madrid needed a victory against Barcelona back in May, he remained an unused substitute. In fact, his season ended that day at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys; Rodrygo did not play another minute under Ancelotti.

Things went from bad to worse once Xabi Alonso took over. The Spaniard only started Rodrygo in one match at the FIFA Club World Cup and kept him on the bench for nearly all of the knockout stage, even when Los Blancos were desperate for a goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals.

The lack of minutes under Alonso were not entirely surprising. After all, Rodrygo finished a poor 2024–25 campaign off with just 14 goals in 51 appearances. The 24-year-old still has not found the back of the net in a competitive match for Real Madrid since March.

Except Rodrygo’s past successes and obvious quality were widely believed to be enough reason for the winger to keep his place in the XI, despite his recent slump and the team’s change in leadership.

No real strides were made, though, and following the Club World Cup, the building transfer speculation surrounding Rodrygo amplified tenfold. It did not help matters when Real Madrid signed 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono, a young, exciting talent who is a natural fit on Los Blancos’ right wing.

Suddenly, the player with nearly 300 appearances in a white shirt had fallen completely out of favor with the club. Alonso was routinely asked about Rodrygo’s future and place at the Spanish capital, but the former midfielder never revealed much, only that it was his “decision” to not play the Brazil international.

All the while, suitors were coming from across Europe to enter the race for Rodrygo’s signature. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were all interested. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich were also linked with the Real Madrid star.

The reports, the rumors and most of all, the interest surrounding Rodrygo seemed to multiply with each passing day ahead of the 2025–26 season. One day the forward was on his way to the Premier League and the next, he was committed to Real Madrid. One day he was Bayern Munich’s blockbuster replacement to Kingsley Coman and the next, he was headed to north London in a shock move to Spurs.

The noise turned deafening when Alonso once again overlooked Rodrygo in Los Blancos’ La Liga opener. Not only did the manager bench the two-time Champions League winner, but he also gave minutes off the bench to Mastantuono, Gonzalo García and Dani Ceballos instead.

Amid the growing speculation, Rodrygo remained silent, only taking to social media to post photos of himself at training with captions that seemingly pledged his loyalty to Real Madrid. Despite the heightened attention on both his future and his skill, as well as his worthiness of keeping his place at the biggest club in the world, the 24-year-old kept his head down and was rewarded with a start against Real Oviedo.

Rodrygo failed to break his goal drought in the 3–0 victory, but he gained something much larger from the outing—a glimmer of hope. For the first time since May, the Brazilian saw a concrete way back into the XI at the club he loves more than anything.

The transfer window came and went, all without ever a single official offer made for Rodrygo. Whether Real Madrid’s asking price was too high or the player himself made it known behind closed doors his desire to stay, the transfer that seemed almost inevitable at the start of the summer never transpired.

The saga might pick up again come January, especially if Rodrygo continues to struggle for minutes. For now, though, the Brazil international is a Real Madrid player, one completely focused on proving his worth to Alonso and reproving his worth to Madridistas.