Florentino Perez Shatters His Own Transfer Rules in Desperate Bid to Land Rodri

"He wasn't someone who headed the ball and he rarely played a pass longer than three meters."

That was Florentino Pérez's damning verdict on Claude Makélélé, after the defensive midfielder departed Real Madrid for Chelsea in the summer of 2003.

"Younger players will come along who will make everyone forget about Makélélé," the president added for emphasis.

Those cutting words, and the contract dispute that forced the then 30-year-old French international out, turned out to be a massive blunder by Pérez, with Madrid suffering greatly in the seasons that followed his departure.

Without stability in midfield, the team crumbled under the burden of too many attacking stars, and it took four years before Real Madrid claimed another major title. Makélélé went on to redefine an entire position at Chelsea as the finest defensive midfielder in the world. The saga became perhaps the most defining moment in the collapse of the first Galácticos era.

"Why add another coat of gold paint to the Bentley when you're losing the whole engine?" Zinedine Zidane memorably remarked.

More than two decades later, Pérez's preference for flair over substance endures.

Pérez Shuns Defensive Midfield Signings

Among Madrid's 20 most expensive transfers, only six can reasonably be considered defensive players, and just one is a Makélélé-style midfield anchor: Aurélien Tchouaméni.

When questioned about his transfer intentions in an interview with TV program Horizonte during his re-election campaign earlier this year, Pérez hinted that "you always need more forwards" as he pledged to spend a club-record €150 million ($170 million) on an unnamed superstar. When pressed on who the mystery target might be, he said: "It's a signing designed to generate excitement because that's what it's all about — generating excitement."

Following speculation linking him to Julián Alvarez and Michael Olise, it appears Pérez will secure his excitement-driven forward in the shape of Yan Diomande, who is expected to arrive for over €100 million ($114 million).

Before the summer, however, few would have identified attack as the area requiring such significant investment. Across two trophy-free seasons since Toni Kroos's departure, Madrid have struggled badly to maintain control in crucial moments. And yet, no replacement for the German or Luka Modrić, who followed him out the door a year later, has been secured.

Madrid Midfielder Signings Under Pérez Since 2009

Indeed, in the 12 years since Kroos was signed, won five Champions League titles and eventually retired, Madrid have spent actual transfer fees on just three more midfielders whose primary role is to operate deeper — Mateo Kovačić, Eduardo Camavinga and Tchouaméni. Barcelona, by comparison, have signed 14.

For Pérez, purchasing midfielders who aren't primarily attack-minded is like most people's approach to buying a dishwasher: avoid it for as long as possible, spend only when absolutely necessary, then hope it doesn't need replacing for years.

Rodri Move Marks Major Shift

All of this makes Madrid's pursuit of Rodri all the more remarkable.

Pérez's 2003 criticisms of Makélélé could just as easily be applied to the Spain and Manchester City midfielder, who rarely scores or beats opponents with flashy dribbles, and yet reports suggest Madrid are prepared to pay upwards of €50 million ($57 million) to sign the player who has one year remaining on his current deal.

Beyond being an unglamorous holding midfielder, Rodri is also susceptible to injury — he suffered an ACL tear in 2024 and underwent back surgery this summer — and he also commits the cardinal sin of being over 30.

Of Madrid's 20 most expensive signings to date, 15 were aged 25 or younger at the time of their move, with Zidane the oldest at 29 when he arrived from Juventus in 2001.

Real Madrid have operated under an unofficial age policy since Pérez's return to the presidency in 2009. Prior to this summer, only three players aged 30 or over had moved to the Bernabéu, and none for a fee even approaching half of what Rodri is expected to cost.

Over-30 Signings Under Pérez

For much of the summer, reports suggested that Pérez was very much not keen on Rodri, despite a new deep-lying midfield playmaker being on the transfer wish list. So what has shifted?

Rodri has, of course, had a transformative summer, captaining Spain to the 2026 World Cup title and setting tournament records for passing as La Roja dominated possession and control on their way to a second star.

After an injury-disrupted and ultimately underwhelming season with City in 2025–26, Rodri's Golden Ball-winning performance in North America has revived his standing as the game's foremost midfielder — a well-timed boost given Pérez's appetite for the biggest and best names.

There is every possibility Rodri could end the year as a two-time Ballon d'Or winner and, given his contract situation, there is simply no comparable player available on the market.

There also appears to have been a broader strategic shift at the club this summer, with seasoned operators Bernardo Silva (31) and Denzel Dumfries (30) brought in as part of Mourinho's rebuild, with the squad in need of experienced dressing-room figures.

Since Pérez secured the signing of Kylian Mbappé two years ago and Kroos retired, Madrid have yet to lift a major trophy, with clear parallels between this current squad and the bloated, ego-driven side that Makélélé walked away from in 2003.

Bringing Rodri into the fold gives Pérez an opportunity to make amends for his past errors over 20 years later and reshape this version of Real Madrid's Galácticos into a genuine team rather than a mere assembly of superstars.

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Back in 2024, Rodri told Spanish media: "When Real Madrid call you ... you always have to listen."

It seems now, Madrid are finally listening to him as well.