Manchester City Sign Europa League Hero Geronimo Rulli for £1.7m

Manchester City have turned to a familiar face to bolster their goalkeeping ranks, sealing a £1.7m move for Argentina international Geronimo Rulli from Marseille.

The 34-year-old returns to Etihad Stadium on a two-year contract, eight years after his first spell at the club quietly passed by without a single first-team appearance during the 2016-17 season. Then, he was a name on the squad list. Now, he arrives with a heavyweight résumé.

Rulli carries something that cannot be coached: big‑night scars and big‑night nerve. His place in European folklore was carved in Gdansk in 2021, when Villarreal and Manchester United refused to blink in an epic Europa League final shootout. Every outfield player scored. Rulli stepped up, buried his own penalty, then turned executioner, saving from opposite number David de Gea to clinch the trophy.

That moment hardened his reputation as a goalkeeper who does not shrink under the brightest lights. City, chasing silverware on multiple fronts every season, know the value of that.

His club journey has taken him across the continent, from Real Sociedad in Spain to Montpellier in France, a stint at Ajax in the Netherlands and, most recently, Marseille. Each stop added layers of experience that City now tap into as they refresh the depth behind their established No 1.

On the international stage, Rulli has had to fight for every minute in an Argentina set-up rich with goalkeeping talent. He has collected eight caps so far, but his medal haul tells the fuller story. He was part of the Albiceleste squads that lifted the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, embedded inside a winning culture that City’s dressing room will instantly recognise.

This is not a marquee signing designed to dominate headlines. It is the kind of move elite clubs make when they are thinking about the grind of a long season, the risk of injuries, the pressure of knockout ties, the need for a calm, seasoned presence in training and in the dressing room.

Rulli arrives older, wiser and with trophies in his luggage. The first time he left Manchester, few noticed. If he is called upon in the decisive moments this time around, everyone will.