Manchester City star Rodri was tipped to sign for Real Madrid, but instead landed at Barcelona on a transfer worth £65 million.
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– get to know the new Barça star better
Rodri Hernández is officially a Barcelona player. But who is really the man behind the Ballon d’Or award and the World Cup gold? Here are ten things you might not know about the Spaniard who will now be in charge of the midfield at Camp Nou.
1. Born in Madrid
Rodrigo Hernández Cascante was born in Madrid on June 22, 1996. He will be the 20. Madrid-born player in Barcelona’s first-team history – following in the footsteps of Marcos Alonso and Munir.
2. Cycled to training
As a young player in Villarreal’s second team, he took his bike on the train to get to training. A solution as humble as it is practical.
3. Bachelor’s in Business Administration
Rodri combined football with studies at the Jaume I University in Castellón. He completed his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management – while already playing for Manchester City. It took six years, and he was just “another student” drinking soda while his classmates were partying.
4. Lowest score on Comunio
During his studies, Rodri lived in student housing. His fellow students jokingly complained that he gave them too few points in the fantasy football game Comunio after the Villarreal games. He made his debut for the first team in 2015.
5. Three games at Camp Nou
Rodri has already played three times at his new home – in the shirt of Villarreal and Atlético Madrid. Both teams lost big every time. Now he hopes for a completely different experience in the Blaugrana.
6. Champions League winner
As a defensive midfielder, Rodri has an unusual goal record. He scored the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final against Inter – securing Manchester City’s first title in the tournament.
7. Ballon d’Or winner in 2024
Rodri became the second Spaniard of all time to win the Ballon d’Or – after Luis Suárez (1960). He is also not the first Ballon d’Or winner Barça has brought in. Johan Cruyff and Allan Simonsen had also won the award before they came to Catalonia.
8. Inspired by Piqué and Puyol
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Luis Enrique used Rodri as a centre-back. To prepare, he watched footage of Piqué and Puyol from the 2010 World Championship gold. A new role – with old heroes as a role model.
9. Admiring Busquets
Rodri himself has stated that he studied Sergio Busquets carefully:
“I watched a lot of Busquets and took to heart what he did better than me. He is the best defensive midfielder of all time.
10. No social media
A giant on the pitch – but almost invisible on the outside. Rodri has no social media presence and keeps his digital footprint to a minimum. One of the few footballers who really keeps his feet on the ground.
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