Roberto Gomez Criticizes Barcelona and Real Madrid Over Transfer Decisions

Spanish pundit Roberto Gomez has launched a blistering attack on Barcelona over their conduct in the Julian Alvarez saga, while also accusing Real Madrid of a serious misstep in allowing Rodri to slip to their great rivals.

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 Real Madrid had previously made contact with him before he chose to sign for the Catalan club.

For Gomez, that admission underlined a major error at the Bernabeu.

“I believe Real Madrid made a grave mistake in letting Rodri leave, because he would have given the midfield a major boost,” he said, arguing that Madrid had passed on a player ready-made to elevate their core.

The praise for Rodri was emphatic. Gomez called him “a world champion, a wonderful player, indeed the best,” and insisted that his quality had long been recognised. “We have always valued his level, and I wish him every success in his new phase,” he added, making clear that his criticism lay with Madrid’s decision-making, not the player’s choice.

If Rodri’s case exposed, in his eyes, a miscalculation at Real Madrid, the Julian Alvarez negotiations drew something harsher: moral outrage directed squarely at Barcelona.

Gomez stressed that Alvarez, the Argentina forward, has every right to decide his own future. The issue, he argued, was not the player’s ambition but the way Barcelona approached the deal while Atletico Madrid were involved.

That is where his tone hardened.

“Barcelona (manoeuvred) behind Atletico’s back, and in a very despicable manner. This is unacceptable in football,” he said, accusing the Catalan club of crossing a line in their dealings over the striker.

He did not soften the language. Gomez described Barcelona’s behaviour as “arrogant”, “conceited” and “condescending”, portraying a club that, in his view, treated Atletico with disregard during the talks.

Amid the criticism, one figure emerged unscathed. Gomez singled out Real Madrid president Florentino Perez as the only actor who, in his opinion, handled the situation correctly.

“The only person who acted properly in all of this is Florentino Perez,” he insisted. According to Gomez, Perez first spoke directly with Alvarez and then later contacted Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo, following what the journalist considered the proper order and respect between clubs.

In a transfer market where every gesture is scrutinised and every word can shift the balance of power, Gomez’s broadside raises a pointed question: who will pay the heavier price this season — the club accused of arrogance, or the one accused of letting a world champion walk away?