Geronimo Rulli has spoken about finally fulfilling his Manchester City dream, declaring that ‘the circle has closed’ more than a decade after first joining the club without ever playing a competitive game.
Geronimo Rulli: A Manchester City debut on the horizon!
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Geronimo Rulli has a unique story out of everyone in Enzo Maresca's current Manchester City squad, having technically been a senior player at the Etihad Stadium before anyone else.
The Argentine international goalkeeper first arrived at the club back in 2016, only to be loaned out immediately, and later sold on without ever appearing in a competitive fixture for the then-Pep Guardiola side.
A well-travelled career followed, taking in spells at Real Sociedad and Villarreal in Spanish football, as well as Ajax and most recently Olympique Marseille, before a return to Manchester looked highly improbable until the recent summer market.
As it turned out, his City journey wasn't finished and with the club needing an experienced deputy to Gianluigi Donnarumma after the exit of James Trafford, an unexpected opportunity arose - and the 2026 FIFA World Cup winner seized it without hesitation.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca launched a defence of Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper's shaky moments in possession against Porto.cityxtra.co.uk"A Few Times, It Wasn't His Mistake" - Enzo Maresca Defends Gianluigi Donnarumma After Nervy Porto Performance
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca launched a defence of Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper's shaky moments in possession against Porto.
Geronimo Rulli: "The circle has closed"
Speaking to the club’s official website in a recent feature across channels, Geronimo Rulli was emphatic about what the switch means to him after so many years away from Manchester.
“I feel as though the circle has closed. I’m so happy to have achieved what I always wanted: to play for this club,” he said.
“Even before wearing the shirt, I felt part of me belonged at Manchester City. Wearing these colours and badge gives me a joy and emotion I hadn’t felt in my career.”
Having been a Manchester City player as a young man without ever getting the chance to represent them in a competitive game, the 34-year-old could have been forgiven for assuming that particular door had closed for good, especially as the years passed and his career took him across the continent.
Indeed, many City fans had forgotten that Rulli was technically being signed for the second time when he replaced James Trafford - who joined Leeds United in a £40 million deal - in August.
Instead, he has come back as a decorated, hugely experienced international, at last in a position to fight for silverware with the club that had eluded him for most of his career. Few of the club’s summer additions will have walked through the door with quite the same emotional connection to the badge.
"I’ll run if I have to!" - the story behind the move back to City
That deep-rooted desire was plain to see in the way he responded when Manchester City came calling. The goalkeeper revealed he had been caught completely off guard by the club’s interest, but wasted no time whatsoever in making his feelings known.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it. They called me, ‘You have a meeting with Manchester City tomorrow morning’. I was like, ‘Okay...’,” Rulli recalled. “The next day, we were at the meeting, and we spoke about it. They told me they wanted me, I said, ‘Tell me when. I’ll go right now. I’ll run if I have to’.”
A long-awaited debut now on the horizon
Now firmly established within the squad under Enzo Maresca, Geronimo Rulli looks poised to finally make that elusive Manchester City debut.
With Gianluigi Donnarumma the undisputed first-choice, the Argentine international is expected to be handed his chances in the domestic cups, and is poised to make his bow when City host Norwich in the Carabao Cup.
Assuming that moment arrives, it will be a poignant milestone for a goalkeeper who has waited more than ten years to pull on the shirt in earnest. If simply being back at Manchester City already feels like a dream realised, the chance to actually play will surely complete one of the more remarkable full-circle stories in the club's modern history.