Manchester City Signs Gerónimo Rulli on Two-Year Deal

Manchester City have moved to reinforce their goalkeeping department with the signing of Argentina international Gerónimo Rulli from Marseille on a two-year contract.

The 34-year-old has signed a deal running until June 2028, with City paying around £1.7m for the experienced goalkeeper. He will wear the No.28 shirt at the Etihad and effectively steps in as James Trafford’s replacement after the England keeper’s switch to Leeds.

A familiar name returns to Manchester, even if City fans barely saw him the first time. Rulli was on the club’s books during the 2016/17 season but did not make a single first-team appearance before moving on. Eight years later, he comes back with a full career behind him rather than one just taking shape.

Since that brief initial spell, Rulli has built a strong résumé across Europe. He has played for Real Sociedad in Spain, Montpellier in France, Villarreal in La Liga, Ajax in the Eredivisie and most recently Marseille in Ligue 1. Each move added another layer of experience, another high-pressure environment, another style of football to master.

On the international stage, Rulli has collected eight caps for Argentina and has been part of a golden era for his country. He was in the squads that lifted the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América, training and competing daily in a goalkeeping group led by Emiliano Martínez.

English supporters, though, will most vividly recall him from one particular night. Rulli played a central role in Villarreal’s dramatic Europa League final win over Manchester United in 2021, a marathon penalty shootout in which he both scored and then saved the decisive spot-kick to seal the trophy.

Now he arrives in Manchester not as a prospect, but as a seasoned option for one of Europe’s most demanding squads.