Luis Figo has never been shy about Real Madrid's appetite for star power, and this week the Portuguese great weighed back in on one of the summer's most persistent transfer sagas: Rodri to the Bernabéu.
"I know there has been talk of the possibility of Rodri coming to Real Madrid," Figo said, quoted by ONE. "I think it will be difficult, because he's under contract with Manchester City, but everyone knows that Real Madrid always want to sign the best players in the world."
It is a familiar refrain from a man who knows the club's recruitment culture better than most — Figo's own move from Barcelona to Madrid in 2000 remains one of the most explosive transfers in the game's history. Rodri, for his part, has a deal at City that runs well beyond this window, and City have shown no appetite to sell.
Figo also had praise for the Spain and City midfielder's World Cup, even if the numbers did not jump off the page. "For me, Rodri has had a great World Cup, even though, in terms of goals or assists, he hasn't stood out that much," he said.
Asked to look ahead to the Ballon d'Or, Figo argued the World Cup should not be the only yardstick and pointed to a spread of candidates who excelled across the full season. He named Kylian Mbappé, whose tournament in the finals was outstanding, alongside a Paris Saint-Germain player who won the Champions League again — a nod to the club's continued European dominance.
He also flagged PSG pair Vitinha and Désiré Doué. "I might single out Vitinha and Doué, who've had a great season even though the World Cup didn't go so well for them," Figo said, while also naming Real Madrid's own Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham among the contenders.
The conversation eventually turned to Madrid's own dugout, where José Mourinho began his second spell as head coach this summer after being officially unveiled on June 11. It is a three-year appointment, one of club president Florentino Pérez's marquee promises on the back of his re-election, and it returns Mourinho to the Bernabéu for the first time since his 2010-13 stint.
Figo made clear that results, not spectacle, will define whether the appointment is judged a success. "I think the most important thing for Real Madrid now will be to start winning again after two years without a trophy," he said, alluding directly to the pressure now on Mourinho.
It is a blunt assessment from a club legend, but a fair one: two trophyless seasons is an unfamiliar drought at a club built on the exact appetite Figo was describing — for the best players, and for silverware to match.
