When the game’s most coveted talents hit the market, English sides often struggle to match the pull of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Jude Bellingham is a prime example. After leaving Birmingham City to continue his development at Borussia Dortmund, the England midfielder chose Real Madrid rather than returning to his homeland.
He remains the only player to represent England’s senior men’s team in the Premier League era without ever appearing in the competition.
Kylian Mbappe was linked with numerous clubs before realising his ambition of joining Real Madrid, while in 2013 Neymar picked Barcelona over Premier League interest — lured in part by the chance to play alongside Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for Real Madrid a year after winning the Ballon d’Or, and Luis Suarez moved to Barcelona just months after claiming the Premier League Golden Boot and PFA Players’ Player of the Year with Liverpool.
Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard also swapped London for Madrid after establishing themselves among the Premier League’s elite. Bale left Tottenham in 2013 after winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for a second time, while Hazard made the same switch from Chelsea six years later, having previously landed the league’s top individual honour.
Harry Kane later left Tottenham for Bayern Munich despite being just 47 goals short of Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260.
Spain offers practical draws — climate, lifestyle and, for many South American players, linguistic and cultural familiarity — but the attraction runs deeper.
Real Madrid and Barcelona possess a unique allure as end-point clubs, underpinned by their Champions League pedigree, worldwide reach and association with individual accolades such as the Ballon d’Or.
Both have shown interest in Rodri this summer.