diff --git a/CHANGES/9873.bugfix.rst b/CHANGES/9873.bugfix.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..90f708fa879
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CHANGES/9873.bugfix.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Added a backward compatibility layer to `~aiohttp.RequestInfo` to allow creating these objects without a `real_url` -- by :user:`bdraco`.
diff --git a/aiohttp/client_reqrep.py b/aiohttp/client_reqrep.py
index 8e7ebbcbebe..8f7ed23f286 100644
--- a/aiohttp/client_reqrep.py
+++ b/aiohttp/client_reqrep.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 from .formdata import FormData
 from .hdrs import CONTENT_TYPE
 from .helpers import (
+    _SENTINEL,
     BaseTimerContext,
     BasicAuth,
     HeadersMixin,
@@ -104,13 +105,31 @@ class ContentDisposition:
     filename: Optional[str]
 
 
-class RequestInfo(NamedTuple):
+class _RequestInfo(NamedTuple):
     url: URL
     method: str
     headers: "CIMultiDictProxy[str]"
     real_url: URL
 
 
+class RequestInfo(_RequestInfo):
+
+    def __new__(
+        cls,
+        url: URL,
+        method: str,
+        headers: "CIMultiDictProxy[str]",
+        real_url: URL = _SENTINEL,  # type: ignore[assignment]
+    ) -> "RequestInfo":
+        """Create a new RequestInfo instance.
+
+        For backwards compatibility, the real_url parameter is optional.
+        """
+        return tuple.__new__(
+            cls, (url, method, headers, url if real_url is _SENTINEL else real_url)
+        )
+
+
 class Fingerprint:
     HASHFUNC_BY_DIGESTLEN = {
         16: md5,
@@ -326,7 +345,9 @@ def port(self) -> Optional[int]:
     def request_info(self) -> RequestInfo:
         headers: CIMultiDictProxy[str] = CIMultiDictProxy(self.headers)
         # These are created on every request, so we use a NamedTuple
-        # for performance reasons.
+        # for performance reasons. We don't use the RequestInfo.__new__
+        # method because it has a different signature which is provided
+        # for backwards compatibility only.
         return tuple.__new__(
             RequestInfo, (self.url, self.method, headers, self.original_url)
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_client_request.py b/tests/test_client_request.py
index d20374ee163..e2ab308cec7 100644
--- a/tests/test_client_request.py
+++ b/tests/test_client_request.py
@@ -1544,3 +1544,46 @@ async def test_connection_key_without_proxy() -> None:
     )
     assert req.connection_key.proxy_headers_hash is None
     await req.close()
+
+
+def test_request_info_back_compat() -> None:
+    """Test RequestInfo can be created without real_url."""
+    url = URL("http://example.com")
+    other_url = URL("http://example.org")
+    assert (
+        aiohttp.RequestInfo(
+            url=url, method="GET", headers=CIMultiDictProxy(CIMultiDict())
+        ).real_url
+        is url
+    )
+    assert (
+        aiohttp.RequestInfo(url, "GET", CIMultiDictProxy(CIMultiDict())).real_url is url
+    )
+    assert (
+        aiohttp.RequestInfo(
+            url, "GET", CIMultiDictProxy(CIMultiDict()), real_url=url
+        ).real_url
+        is url
+    )
+    assert (
+        aiohttp.RequestInfo(
+            url, "GET", CIMultiDictProxy(CIMultiDict()), real_url=other_url
+        ).real_url
+        is other_url
+    )
+
+
+def test_request_info_tuple_new() -> None:
+    """Test RequestInfo must be created with real_url using tuple.__new__."""
+    url = URL("http://example.com")
+    with pytest.raises(IndexError):
+        tuple.__new__(
+            aiohttp.RequestInfo, (url, "GET", CIMultiDictProxy(CIMultiDict()))
+        ).real_url
+
+    assert (
+        tuple.__new__(
+            aiohttp.RequestInfo, (url, "GET", CIMultiDictProxy(CIMultiDict()), url)
+        ).real_url
+        is url
+    )