Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (born 22 June 1996), known simply as Rodri or Rodrigo, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Barcelona and captains the Spain national team. Widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, he is known for his passing, composure, playmaking and physical attributes. He is one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Ballon d'Or in their career, and the only one to win the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA European Championship, UEFA Nations League, UEFA Champions League and the Best Player Award of each tournament.
Rodri began his senior career with Villarreal, progressing through the club's academy before making his first-team debut in December 2015. In 2018, he joined Atlético Madrid, where he established himself as a promising midfielder and won the UEFA Super Cup in 2018. His performances earned him interest from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. After a single season at Atlético, he signed for City in 2019 for £62.6 million, a then-record fee for a Spanish player.
At City, Rodri developed into a centrepiece of Guardiola's team. He played a decisive role in the club's domestic dominance, winning four consecutive Premier League titles and completing the continental treble in 2022–23. Rodri scored the only goal in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan, as City won their first Champions League title; he was awarded the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season. He also scored in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final as City claimed the title for the first time. During the 2023–24 season, he helped the club win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title.
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 two UEFA European Championships (in 2020 and 2024) and two FIFA World Cups (in 2022 and 2026). 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. Combining his international success with City's achievements, Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first defensive midfielder since Lothar Matthäus in 1990 to receive the award, as well as the second Spanish player and the first City player to do so. At the 2026 World Cup, he won the Golden Ball as Spain claimed their second title.
Club career Early life and career 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 Espanyol.
Atlético Madrid 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. He scored his first goal for the club on 10 November 2018, netting in a 3–2 win against Athletic Bilbao.
Manchester City 2019–20 season: First season in England On 3 July 2019, Manchester City met the terms of Rodri's £62.6 million release clause, enabling him to buy out the remainder of his contract with Atlético and leave the club. The transfer was a new record fee paid by Manchester City. He signed a five-year contract.
Rodri, aged 23, made his debut in the 2019 FA Community Shield on 4 August at Wembley Stadium, playing the full 90 minutes as City won on penalties against Liverpool after a 1–1 draw. He made his Premier League debut against West Ham United six days later in a 5–0 away win, and on 14 September he scored his first goal in a 3–2 away defeat against Norwich City.
It was announced in October 2019 that Rodri would be out for a month due to a hamstring injury. On 1 March 2020, City won the EFL Cup at Wembley Stadium for the third consecutive time, beating Aston Villa 2–1 in the final. Rodri headed in City's second goal from a corner, which ultimately turned out to be the winner.
2020–2024: Premier League success and continental treble
On 13 February 2021, Rodri scored City's first goal from a penalty in a 3–0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur. During the 2021–22 domestic campaign, Rodri had a pass completion count of 82.0 per 90 minutes and a pass completion rate of 91.8% over the course of the whole season. These numbers put Rodri at the top of all midfielders in the Premier League in both categories. Multiplying those two numbers together reveals that on average, Rodri attempted one pass every 60.5 seconds of the season, leading all Premier League midfielders in that category too, with only Liverpool's Thiago coming close.
On 12 July 2022, Rodri agreed to extend his contract with Manchester City until 2027. On 11 April 2023, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–0 home win over Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals first leg. On 10 June, he scored the only goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, securing City's win for their first title in the competition, and completing the continental treble. Rodri was named player of the match, and was selected as the tournament's Player of the Season.
On 23 September 2023, Rodri was sent off in a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest for lashing out at Morgan Gibbs-White following a tussle, which sparked a melee. This was Rodri's first red card in the Premier League. City went on to lose each of the three subsequent games (against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal, and Newcastle) for which he was suspended. After his fifth yellow card against Tottenham, Rodri was suspended as City went on to lose the game again – that time against Aston Villa.
On 19 May 2024, Rodri would score a decisive goal into the bottom corner to ensure Manchester City's 3–1 win over West Ham United on the last match day of the season; City's victory saw them become the first club in English history to lift the league trophy in four consecutive seasons. Additionally, he reached his 50th consecutive undefeated Premier League match with his club, placing him second only to Sol Campbell with 56 games.
2024–2026: Injury, return and departure On 22 September 2024, Rodri was withdrawn in the first half of Manchester City's 2–2 draw with Arsenal, due an ACL and meniscus injury, ruling him out for the majority of the 2024–25 season. In October 2024, he was awarded the 2024 Ballon d'Or. On 20 May 2025, he made his comeback from the long-term injury, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–1 win against Bournemouth in the penultimate match of the season. He appeared in 33 fixtures for Manchester City in all competitions during their 2025–26 season, and he was sidelined for two spells due to hamstring and groin injuries.
Barcelona On 18 August 2026, Rodri signed for La Liga club Barcelona on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was reportedly €76.5m, fixed fee of €60m and €16.5m add-ons. In the meantime, Real Madrid coach José Mourinho revealed that the club had made Rodri a very good offer, but the midfielder's hesitation over the move ultimately led Madrid to abandon their pursuit.
On 27 August 2026, Rodri made his La Liga debut for Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao, coming on as a second-half substitute to replace Marc Bernal in a 2–0 home win.
International career Youth career 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.
Senior career 2018–2021: First international tournaments
After missing out on selection for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Rodri was named in Spain's squad for their first two UEFA Nations League fixtures against England and Croatia in September 2018. After being an unused substitute in the first match at Wembley Stadium, he made his competitive debut as a 59th minute substitute for Sergio Busquets in the 6–0 win over Croatia on 11 September. A month later, Rodri made his first start for Spain in a 4–1 friendly win over Wales in Cardiff and was named man of the match by the BBC.
Rodri played in seven of Spain's ten matches during UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, starting in five.
On 17 November 2020, Rodri scored his first senior international goal in Spain's 6–0 win over Germany in their final group phase match of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League. The win in Seville ensured La Roja would finish top of Group 4 and qualify for the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals in Italy.
In June 2021, he was included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for the postponed UEFA Euro 2020 finals. In the absence of captain Sergio Busquets due to COVID-19, Rodri started the team's first two matches of the tournament as they drew 0–0 with Poland and 1–1 with Sweden. With Busquets' return for the final Group E match against Slovakia, Rodri was an unused substitute in the 5–0 win that secured Spain's place in the knockout stage. In the round of 16 match against Croatia, Rodri replaced Busquets in the 102nd minute as the team won 5–3 after extra time. He again appeared as a substitute in the quarter-final draw with Switzerland, coming on for Pedri in the final minute of extra time ahead of the penalty shootout. Although Rodri's kick was saved by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer, Spain won the shootout 4–2 to reach the semi-final. Rodri appeared as a 70th-minute substitute for Koke as Spain drew 1–1 with Italy in the semi-final, losing 4–2 in the penalty shootout.
In October 2021, Rodri was included in Spain's squad for the Nations League finals. On 10 October, he started in Spain's 2–1 defeat against France in the final, playing 84 minutes at the San Siro in Milan.
2022–2023: World Cup and Nations League title Rodri was included in Spain's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and was used as a central defender. He played the full 90 minutes in Spain's three Group E matches, where they won 7–0 against Costa Rica, drew 1–1 with Germany and lost 2–1 to Japan. In the round of 16, he played 120 minutes of the team's 0–0 draw with Morocco, as La Roja were eliminated after losing 3–0 in the penalty shootout. Throughout the tournament, Rodri broke compatriot Xavi's 2010 record for most passes completed in a single edition of the World Cup (599), completing 638 out of 684 attempted passes, with a 93% success rate.
After the international retirement of Sergio Busquets on 16 December 2022, Rodri succeeded him as Spain's midfield pivot. On 28 March 2023, he captained the team for the first time in their second UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier, where they lost 2–0 to Scotland at Hampden Park.