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Rodri

Football · Defensive Midfielder

Rodri

Rodrigo Hernández Cascante

Spanish midfielder Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or after orchestrating Manchester City's fourth consecutive Premier League title and Spain's Euro 2024 championship.

SpainManchester City Active

Biography

Born in Madrid, Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, known as Rodri, developed in Atlético Madrid's academy before completing his youth formation at Villarreal. After establishing himself as a top La Liga holding midfielder with the Yellow Submarine, he returned to Atlético Madrid for the 2018-19 season, capturing the UEFA Super Cup. In 2019, Rodri joined Manchester City, where he emerged as arguably the premier defensive midfielder in world football. Combining positional intelligence, passing accuracy, tactical fouls, and decisive long-range shooting, Rodri cemented his status in club lore by scoring the match-winning goal against Inter Milan in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul. During 2023 and 2024, Rodri established a remarkable 74-game unbeaten streak across all club competitions, steering City to an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League crown. In the summer of 2024, he marshaled Spain's midfield to victory at UEFA Euro 2024, winning Player of the Tournament, and in October 2024 he was crowned the Ballon d'Or winner as the world's best player.

Career timeline

  1. Villarreal CF

    2015 – 2018 · Breakout season in La Liga

  2. Atlético Madrid

    2018 – 2019 · Won 2018 UEFA Super Cup

  3. Manchester City

    2019 – present · Scored winning goal in 2023 Champions League final

  4. Spain national football team

    2018 – present · Euro 2024 champion and Player of the Tournament

Major achievements

  • Ballon d'Or winner2024
  • UEFA European Championship winner2024
  • UEFA Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament2024
  • UEFA Champions League winner2023
  • UEFA Champions League Player of the Season2022-23
  • Premier League champion (4 times)2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • UEFA Nations League winner2023

Personal life & family

Relationship

Laura

Partner

Children

None

Rodri met his long-term partner Laura while studying Business Administration and Management at Universidad Jaume I in Castellón while playing for Villarreal. Unusually for an elite footballer, Rodri does not use social media and lived in university student accommodation even after making his La Liga debut.

Sources

  1. Rodri (footballer, born 1996) — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  2. Manchester City F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  3. Spain national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)