Cucurella reveals he asked Rodri to sign for Real Madrid before he joined Barcelona

Some messages get sent out of sporting interest, others get sent with the heart set on a very specific goal. Marc Cucurella's message to Rodri was of the second kind, even though it ended up going nowhere. The defender admitted that, before news of the signing broke, he texted the midfielder trying to convince him to join Real Madrid. Rodri, however, ended up signing for Barcelona, the club's fiercest rival.

Cucurella himself told the story openly in an interview with Cadena SER. "I don't really like pressuring or influencing teammates. Those are personal matters," he explained, before admitting there was in fact a direct approach. "It's true that I sent him a subtle message, before the news came out, telling him I hoped we'd be teammates," he said.

He wrote back, but he didn't give anything away. I'm happy for him [at Barça], although I hope he doesn't have too much success.Marc Cucurella

Madrid's interest in Rodri was no secret. The Whites came close to prying him away from Manchester City as part of an ambitious rebuild planned for this season. But the World Cup winning captain with Spain chose a different path, and now, with Hansi Flick in charge, Barcelona sits six points clear at the top of the LaLiga table.

The story emerged just as both players linked up in the Spanish national team camp, preparing for Saturday's Nations League match against England at Wembley. Cucurella was one of six signings Madrid brought in this summer, in a project that also saw Jose Mourinho arrive as the new head coach. But the start to the season hasn't gone as hoped: the team has already suffered two defeats, one away to Betis and another in the derby against Atletico Madrid.

A start that calls for patience

Asked about that stumble, Cucurella called for calm. "We didn't finish the stretch before the international break in the best way. It's all a process, but the important thing is building a solid foundation. Let's see if we find a good balance and put together a strong, united group. If the season ends the way we all want, nobody will remember how it started," the defender said.

In that same derby, Atletico repeatedly targeted Madrid's left flank, the side shared by Cucurella and Vinicius Junior. Asked about that still developing partnership, the Catalan was candid: "It's good playing with Vini, but honestly we've barely had time to train together. Connecting with me is different compared to other fullbacks, but it's a process. From what I can see, and with the effort he's putting in, knowing it's not his natural strength, Vinicius is doing his part."

A statistic that has drawn attention also came up: Madrid's players cover less total distance than their LaLiga rivals so far this season. Cucurella played down the drama. "That number surprised me, but we run a lot. We're talking about these figures because we lost the derby against Atletico. If we hadn't lost it, nobody would be bringing it up," he concluded.