After leading La Roja to glory at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the former Ballon d’Or winner confirmed his intention to move back to Spain, and not sign a contract renewal at Manchester City.
Real Madrid were the first club to make contact over a deal with Mourinho speaking to the 30-year-old over a return to his home city.
However, the saga took a dramatic twist at the start of August, after Rodri admitted it was his "dream" to play for Barcelona, and City eventually accepted a €60M up front transfer fee.
Mourinho admitted the battle for Rodri created doubts in his mind over signing the former Atletico Madrid playmaker and he insisted Los Blancos have the players to cover.
"There's no shortage of players here in that position. Rodri would've been the icing on the cake. He's a great player with lots of experience, but we have Tchouameni, Valverde, Bernardo or Arda who can play in the position, so you realise we won't have a problem."
Real Madrid kick off their LaLiga campaign tonight on the road at Espanyol in Mourinho's first game back in the Spanish top-flight since 2013.