Roberto Gomez Criticizes Barcelona and Real Madrid Over Transfer Tactics
Spanish pundit Roberto Gomez has launched a fierce attack on Barcelona over their conduct in the Julian Alvarez saga, while also accusing Real Madrid of a serious misstep in allowing Rodri to head to Camp Nou.
Rodri praise, Madrid regret
Speaking on La Tribu on Radio Marca, Gomez admitted he was struck by Rodri’s unveiling as a Barcelona player. The midfielder, a world champion with Spain, revealed during his presentation that he had held talks with Real Madrid before ultimately choosing Barça.
For Gomez, that choice reflects badly on the European champions.
“I believe Real Madrid made a grave mistake in letting Rodri leave, because he would have given the midfield a major boost,” he said, underlining how highly he rates the new Barça signing.
The compliments kept coming.
“He is a world champion, a wonderful player, indeed the best. We have always valued his level, and I wish him every success in his new phase,” Gomez added, framing Rodri as exactly the kind of player Madrid should have fought harder to keep from their rivals.
Barcelona accused of “despicable” Alvarez tactics
If Rodri’s case brought regret in Madrid, the Julian Alvarez affair brought something harsher from Gomez: outright condemnation of Barcelona.
The Argentine forward, currently at the centre of intense transfer speculation, “deserves to choose his own future,” Gomez insisted. But he drew a sharp line when it came to how Barcelona allegedly dealt with Atletico Madrid during negotiations.
Gomez accused the Catalan club of going behind Atletico’s back in their pursuit of Alvarez, and he did not soften his language.
“Barcelona (manoeuvred) behind Atletico’s back, and in a very despicable manner. This is unacceptable in football,” he said, turning the spotlight on the way the talks were handled rather than the player’s decision.
He then drove the point home, branding Barça’s behaviour “arrogant”, “conceited” and “condescending”, and placing full responsibility on the club’s hierarchy for what he views as a breach of basic respect between institutions.
Florentino singled out as “the only one” who behaved correctly
Amid the criticism, one figure emerged unscathed in Gomez’s eyes: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
“The only person who acted properly in all of this is Florentino Perez,” he claimed.
According to Gomez, Perez first spoke directly with Alvarez and then followed protocol by contacting Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo, a sequence he held up as the standard of how big clubs should conduct delicate negotiations.
In a transfer market increasingly dominated by power plays and back-channel manoeuvres, Gomez’s words cut right to the core of Spanish football’s biggest rivalry: not just who signs whom, but how they do it – and what that says about the clubs at the top of the game.
