Highlights
- Manchester City have signed Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for £1.7 million.
- Rulli was previously on City's books in 2016, but made zero first-team appearances before being sold on.
- Since leaving, he has won the Europa League with Villarreal, and the World Cup and Copa America with Argentina.
Manchester City have signed Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for a fee of £1.7 million, the club has confirmed. The 34-year-old has signed a two-year contract and will serve as backup to first-choice goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
It's Rulli's second spell at the club. City first signed him in July 2016 for £4 million, but loaned him straight back to Real Sociedad, where he was already playing. He never made a first-team appearance for City and was sold to Real Sociedad permanently the following year.
What has Rulli done since his first spell at City?
Rulli went on to have a decorated career elsewhere. At Villarreal, he was the hero of the 2021 Europa League final against Manchester United, scoring his own penalty in the shootout before saving David de Gea's to win the trophy. He later played for Ajax, then Marseille, where he made 73 appearances over two seasons.
With Argentina, Rulli has served as backup to first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez, and was part of the squads that won the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.
| Rulli's career since leaving City | |
|---|---|
| 2017-2020 | Real Sociedad |
| 2019-2020 | Loan at Montpellier |
| 2020-2023 | Villarreal — wins 2021 Europa League final |
| 2023-2024 | Ajax |
| 2024-2026 | Marseille |
| 2022 & 2024 | World Cup and Copa America winner with Argentina |
| 2026 | Returns to Manchester City |
Why have City signed him now?
City needed experienced cover for Donnarumma after selling their previous backup, James Trafford, to Leeds United this summer in a deal reportedly worth up to £45 million. Rulli fits that role, and his fee is a small fraction of what City brought in from the Trafford sale.
He will work under former City goalkeeper Willy Caballero, now on Enzo Maresca's coaching staff, and is expected to join up with the squad once they return from their pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea.
