Rodri

Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (born 22 June 1996), known as Rodri or Rodrigo, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Spain national team. Known for his passing, playmaking and physical attributes, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world.
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Rodri

Personal information
Full name	Rodrigo Hernández Cascante
Date of birth	22 June 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Manchester City
Number	16
Youth career
2006–2007	Rayo Majadahonda
2007–2013	Atlético Madrid
2013–2015	Villarreal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2016	Villarreal B	39	(1)
2015–2018	Villarreal	63	(1)
2018–2019	Atlético Madrid	34	(3)
2019–	Manchester City	174	(22)
International career‡
2012	Spain U16	2	(0)
2015	Spain U19	8	(0)
2017	Spain U21	6	(1)
2018–	Spain	57	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:32, 22 September 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:21, 8 September 2024 (UTC)

After stints with Villarreal and Atlético Madrid in La Liga, Rodri joined Premier League club Manchester City in 2019. He helped the team win four consecutive league titles in the 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24 seasons. In the 2022–23 season, he was part of the team which claimed a historic continental treble. This treble included City’s first UEFA Champions League title, with Rodri scoring the only goal in the final, and being named the tournament’s Player of the Season.

Rodri is a Spain international and former youth international. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2018 and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2024. He won the UEFA Nations League in 2023, being named the best player of the finals tournament, and was an integral part in Spain’s victory at Euro 2024, for which he was named Player of the Tournament and later was awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or, becoming the second Spanish football player in history to achieve the award after Luis Suárez, who was awarded in 1960.

Rodrigo Hernández Cascante was born on 22 June 1996 in Madrid. He joined Atlético Madrid’s youth setup in 2007 aged 11, from CF Rayo Majadahonda. Released in 2013 due to a “lack of physical strength”, he subsequently signed with Villarreal.

On 7 February 2015, while still a junior, Rodri made his senior debut for the reserves, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–1 away win against RCD Espanyol B in the Segunda División B. He was handed his first start 15 days later, in a 2–0 victory at Real Zaragoza B.

Rodri made his first-team debut on 17 December 2015, starting in a 2–0 home win against SD Huesca for that season’s Copa del Rey. His first La Liga appearance was on 17 April 2016, when he came on as a second-half substitute for Denis Suárez in a 2–1 away loss to Rayo Vallecano.

On 4 December 2017, having already established himself as a regular, Rodri renewed his contract until 2022. He scored his first goal in the Spanish top level on 18 February 2018, the opener in a 1–1 away draw against RCD Espanyol.

On 24 May 2018, Rodri returned to Atlético Madrid after the club reached an agreement with Villarreal for his transfer. He signed a five-year contract with the club, for a fee in the region of €20 million, plus €5 million in variables. He made his debut on 15 August in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn, playing the first 71 minutes of a 4–2 extra-time win over city rivals Real Madrid.

While a Villarreal youth player, Rodri studied at the Jaume I University in nearby Castellón de la Plana for four years to gain a degree in business administration and management. At university, he met his longterm girlfriend Laura, who was studying medicine.

After playing for Spain at under-16, under-19 and under-21 levels, Rodri was first selected by the full side on 16 March 2018 for two friendlies with Germany and Argentina. He made his debut five days later, replacing Thiago Alcântara late in the 1–1 draw against Germany in Düsseldorf.

 

In June 2024, Rodri was named in Spain’s squad for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. In the team’s final warm-up match – a 5–1 win over Northern Ireland in Mallorca – he won his 50th cap for Spain.

In the team’s opening match of the tournament, he played 86 minutes before being substituted for Martin Zubimendi as La Roja beat Croatia 3–0 at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.

Rodri helped Spain reach and win the UEFA Euro 2024 final with an outstanding tournament performance, as he was awarded the best player of the tournament. Spain defeated England 2–1 to secure their fourth European championship. In addition, he became one of 12 players who won both youth and senior Euro titles, alongside his teammates Nacho, Ferran Torres, Álvaro Morata and Mikel Merino.

During Spain’s celebrations of their Euro 2024 victory over England, Rodri and Spanish captain Álvaro Morata were filmed chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish”. The chants were labelled “rancid”, “discriminatory” and “hugely offensive to Gibraltarians” by the Government of Gibraltar, and led to an official complaint to UEFA by the government and the Gibraltar Football Association. After an investigation was opened on 19 July, Rodri and Morata were formally charged under Article 11 of UEFA on 23 July. The pair were given a one match ban.

Rodri is a physically strong and tall player. His physique helps him to frequently win tackles, challenges on opponent players, as well as aerial duels. He has a 73% success rate at tackles on opponent players, and has won 100% of his aerial duels in the 2022–23 season, according to Squawka. He averages a passing accuracy of 91–92%.

Rodri is further known for his versatility and tactical intelligence. He is known for his contributions to his team’s build-up play. Often used as an anchor, or water carrier, his primary role is to win back possession in midfield and distribute the ball to start counterattacks. His ability to maintain possession under pressure allows him to perform this role effectively.
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In addition to his defensive abilities, Rodri also possesses accurate passing and vision, allowing him to operate as a deep-lying playmaker from the heart of the midfield. In the 2023–24 season, he was involved in more sequences of play than any other player in his team or in the Premier League. He is also known for his ability to set the tempo of the game.

Besides his regular position of a holding midfielder, he has occasionally been used as a ball-playing centre-back, in particular by national team manager Luis Enrique during the 2022 World Cup.

During his Manchester City tenure, he also worked to improve his goalscoring, and became known for his long-range shooting, which resulted in several goals, such as his match-winning goal from outside the box against Inter in 2023 UEFA Champions League Final. Despite not being particularly renowned for his pace, he has been credited by pundits for his ability to catch up with much faster attackers in midfield.

Many pundits currently consider Rodri to be one of the best defensive midfielders in world football. In January 2024, members of the ESPN FC staff debated whether Rodri was in fact that best player in the world at the moment. In March 2024, his Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described him as “the best midfield player, currently, in the world by far.” That same month, The New York Times rated him as the best player in the Premier League, while former defender Rio Ferdinand believed that Rodri was already arguably the best defensive midfielder in the league’s history.

He was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, ultimately finishing 5th. He won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, finishing ahead of Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Dani Carvajal.