Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, known as Rodri or Rodrigo, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Manchester City and captains the Spain national team. He was born on 22 June 1996 in Madrid.
⚽ Club Career
After stints with Villarreal and Atlético Madrid in La Liga, Rodri joined Manchester City in 2019 for a record fee of £62.6 million. He helped the team win four consecutive league titles from 2020–21 to 2023–24.
In the 2022–23 season, he was integral to City’s historic continental treble, scoring the only goal in the Champions League final. He was named the tournament’s Player of the Season.
On 22 September 2024, Rodri suffered an ACL and meniscus injury, ruling him out for most of the 2024–25 season. He made his comeback on 20 May 2025 as a late substitute against Bournemouth.
🇪🇸 International Career
Rodri made his senior debut for Spain in 2018 and has represented his country at two UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. He won the UEFA Nations League in 2023, being named best player of the finals tournament.
He was an integral part of Spain’s victory at Euro 2024, for which he was named Player of the Tournament. At the 2026 World Cup, he was awarded the Golden Ball as Spain won the tournament.
🏅 Individual Awards
Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, becoming the second male Spanish player to achieve this feat after Luis Suárez in 1960. He was also the first Manchester City player to win the award.
| Competition | Result | Year | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup | Winner | 2026 | North America |
| UEFA European Championship | Winner | 2024 | Germany |
| UEFA European Championship | Runner-up | 2020 | Europe |
| UEFA Nations League | Winner | 2023 | Netherlands |
| UEFA Nations League | Runner-up | 2021 | Italy |
| UEFA European Under-21 Championship | Runner-up | 2017 | Poland |
| UEFA European Under-19 Championship | Winner | 2015 | Greece |