Manchester City Sign Geronimo Rulli as Deputy to Donnarumma

Manchester City have moved fast and decisively. Within days of James Trafford’s £40m departure to Leeds, the Premier League champions have struck a €2m (£1.7m) agreement to bring Geronimo Rulli back to the Etihad as understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The 34-year-old will sign a two-year deal and arrive from Marseille, where he has spent the last two seasons as the French club’s first-choice goalkeeper. He leaves having re-established himself as a reliable, experienced presence at the top level, and walks into a City dressing room very different to the one he technically joined eight years ago.

Because this is not Rulli’s first spell as a City player – at least on paper. Back in 2016, he was briefly on the club’s books before being immediately loaned to Real Sociedad and then sold permanently to the Spanish side without making a single appearance. City are now closing the loop on that curious footnote, this time with a clear role mapped out for him.

Rulli’s career has taken the scenic route across Europe. From Real Sociedad he went on to Montpellier and then Ajax, before a standout spell at Villarreal, where he carved out one of the defining moments of his career. In the 2021 Europa League final against Manchester United, Rulli not only saved a penalty in the epic shootout – he scored one as well, helping deliver the trophy in a dramatic, nerve-shredding climax.

That taste for the big occasion carried onto the international stage. The Argentina goalkeeper was part of the squads that lifted the World Cup in 2022 and finished runners-up this summer. He did not play a minute in either tournament, but being trusted as part of Lionel Scaloni’s group through two deep runs only underlines his standing as a seasoned, dependable option.

City's Goalkeeper Situation

For City, the equation is simple. Trafford’s exit created a vacancy behind Donnarumma. They wanted experience, calm, someone who understands the demands of elite competition and can step in without fuss. Rulli fits the brief, and at €2m, the deal represents a low-cost, low-risk move for a club operating at the very top of the game.

He returns to Manchester older, battle-hardened, and finally with a pathway to the pitch. Whether he plays often or not, City have added a World Cup winner and Europa League hero to their goalkeeping group. The first time he pulls on a City shirt in an actual match will be a long time coming – but it will not lack for backstory.