Manchester City Sign World Cup Winner Gerónimo Rulli

Manchester City have turned to a familiar face to reshape their goalkeeping department, sealing the signing of Argentina international Gerónimo Rulli from Marseille on a two-year contract.

The 34-year-old returns to the Etihad Stadium on a deal running until June 2028, with City paying around £1.7m for the experienced goalkeeper. He will wear the No.28 shirt and effectively steps into the role vacated by James Trafford, who has joined Leeds.

This is not Rulli’s first taste of Manchester. He was on City’s books during the 2016/17 season, though that spell passed quietly, without a single first-team appearance. Back then he was a promising keeper on the rise. Now he comes back as a proven one.

In the years since, Rulli has built a heavyweight CV across Europe. He established himself at Real Sociedad, had a stint at Montpellier, lifted silverware with Villarreal, then added further experience at Ajax and Marseille. Each move toughened him, each league adding a different edge to his game.

On the international stage, his résumé is just as polished. Rulli has eight caps for Argentina and was part of the squads that conquered the world at the 2022 World Cup and then South America at the 2024 Copa América. He may not have been the headline act, but he has lived inside dressing rooms that know how to win.

English fans will remember him most vividly from one night in Gdańsk. In the 2021 Europa League final, Rulli played a central role in Villarreal’s dramatic shootout victory over Manchester United, scoring his penalty and then saving the decisive kick to seal the trophy. That image — gloves raised, United beaten — still lingers.

Now he returns to Manchester on the other side of the city, older, decorated, and with a very different brief. City are not buying potential this time. They are buying certainty, experience and a goalkeeper who has already stood up on some of the biggest stages in the game.