Rodrygo has been at Real Madrid for almost five years now, but things could have gone differently had he accepted another offer from a European giant. In an interview with The Guardian, the Brazilian revealed he turned down the opportunity to join Liverpool from Santos in a €3m move in 2017.
“We didn’t close the deal because I didn’t want to,” Rodrygo said. “I wanted to stay at Santos even though the offer was very good. The pathway they promised me would also have been very good for my career. I was going to finish my studies in England to prepare for European football.”
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The Osasco native was already making a name for himself at Vila Belmiro by then, but waited until turning 18 to move to Europe. In the summer of 2019, Rodrygo joined Real Madrid in a €45 million move.
🔴🇧🇷 Rodrygo reveals: “I almost joined Liverpool in 2017, the deal was done for €3m”.
“It collapsed because I said no”.
“I wanted to stay at Santos, make history, finish my studies and then leave… even though the offer from #LFC was very good”, told Guardian @thiagorabelo1. pic.twitter.com/kG0tp94YGr
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 8, 2024
“It had always been my dream to play in Europe,” he continued. “Everything was very good, but my desire spoke louder. I wanted to stay at Santos and make a bit of history at the club. And that’s what happened: I was able to fulfil my dream of playing for Santos. But it’s true, I almost went to Liverpool.”
Rodrygo’s numbers in Spain
Rodrygo settled in quite well at the Santiago Bernabéu, where he’s already established himself in the first team with 52 goals and 40 assists in 207 appearances across all competitions.
While the club got to see his talent in all tournaments, the Champions League certainly hits different for Rodrygo, as he boasts an impressive 18 goals along with 11 assists in 47 continental matches.
His evolution in the Spanish capital also earned the winger a prominent role for the national team, recording five goals in 22 caps for Brazil, donning the historic number 10 shirt during Neymar’s absence due to injury.
