Manchester City Sign Geronimo Rulli for £1.7m as Trafford Replacement
Manchester City have turned to a familiar face to reshape their goalkeeping department, agreeing a £1.7m deal to sign 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, when he spent the 2016-17 season on the books without making a first-team appearance. Back then he was a name on the squad list. This time, he arrives with a career’s worth of scars, medals and memories.
From Europa League hero to City understudy
Rulli’s reputation was forged on one unforgettable night in Gdansk. In the 2021 Europa League final, the then-Villarreal goalkeeper strode up to take a penalty in the shootout against Manchester United and buried it, before saving from David de Gea to clinch the trophy in a marathon contest. One kick, one save, a lifetime of replays.
That moment underlined his temperament on the biggest stage, something City clearly value as they refresh the depth behind their established number one, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Rulli arrives as the direct replacement for England goalkeeper James Trafford, who left earlier in the week to join Leeds in a deal worth up to £45m. Trafford goes in search of a starting role and a long Premier League run; Rulli steps in as the experienced deputy, tasked with pushing Donnarumma while anchoring City’s goalkeeping group with know-how and calm.
A career across Europe – and glory with Argentina
This is not the raw prospect City once parked on their books. Since that first stint, Rulli has travelled widely and grown into a seasoned European goalkeeper, taking in spells at Real Sociedad, Montpellier, Ajax and, most notably, Villarreal.
On the international stage, he has collected eight caps for Argentina and, though not first choice, has been part of one of the most successful periods in the nation’s history. He was in the squads that lifted the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, training daily in an elite environment and living the pressure that comes with wearing the Albiceleste crest.
City now tap into that experience. For £1.7m, they add a World Cup and Copa America winner who has stared down a European final shootout and walked away with the trophy.
He may not arrive to take the spotlight from Donnarumma. But in a season where margins are thin and schedules brutal, the value of a reliable, battle-tested goalkeeper sitting just behind the number one can define a campaign.
