Rodri

Rodri (born June 22, 1996, Madrid, Spain) is a Spanish professional football (soccer) player with La Liga (top-tier domestic Spanish professional league) team FC Barcelona. In October 2024 he was awarded the Ballon d’Or, one of football’s most prestigious individual honors. He is regarded as one of the world’s best defensive (or holding) midfielders. He helped his national team win the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina 1–0 (after extra time) and won the Golden Ball award for the tournament’s best player.

Early life and career

Rodri played for his local Madrid football club, Rayo Majadahonda’s under-11 and under-12 youth teams, in 2006 before joining Spanish topflight football club Atlético Madrid’s youth academy in 2007. He was released by Atlético in 2013 and transferred to Spanish football club Villarreal CF to complete his youth development. Rodri made his first-team debut for Villarreal on December 17, 2015, during the Copa del Rey, the main Spanish club knockout tournament, against the Aragon-based SD Huesca club.

Rodri enrolled at the Jaume I University in the city of Castellón de la Plana, Spain, while playing for Villarreal’s under-21 team. He continued living in university accommodation while playing professional football for the next four years. He graduated with a degree in business administration and management in 2021.

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Club career

Rodri established himself as one of Villarreal’s most promising prospects, making his La Liga (Spain’s top league) debut in April 2016. He made 84 appearances for Villarreal across three seasons, earning recognition for his ability to break up opposition attacks and wide passing range. Atlético Madrid re-signed him in May 2018, and he helped the team win the 2018 UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Super Cup. Rodri made 47 appearances for Atlético Madrid in the 2018–19 season as the club finished second in La Liga.

In July 2019 Rodri joined Manchester City after the club paid his £62.8 million (about $79 million) release fee, a franchise record at the time. In his debut season for the club, he made 52 appearances across all competitions, scoring a memorable goal in March 2020 during the final of the Carabao Cup, an English knockout tournament. Rodri became an integral part of manager Pep Guardiola’s tactical setup, playing nearly every game as a regular part of the Manchester City team that won a league-record four consecutive Premier League titles from the 2020–21 to the 2023–24 season. Rodri also scored Manchester City’s winning goal in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan. He was named the tournament’s Player of the Season as well. Rodri was awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or for his stellar performances during a season that Manchester City won the Premier League and FIFA Club World Cup. He also played a big role in Spain’s 2024 UEFA European Championship win. He became the first Manchester City player and only the second Spanish male player, after Luis Suárez in 1960, to win the trophy.

Rodri joined an exclusive list of midfielders to have won the prestigious award; other winners include football stars such as Michel Platini, Lothar Matthäus, Zinedine Zidane, Luka Modrić, and Ronaldinho. He had finished fifth in the final tally for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, despite having played a prominent role in Manchester City winning the continental treble that season. Manchester City became the eighth team in Europe to achieve this feat when they won the English Premier League title, the English FA Cup competition, and the UEFA Champions League tournament in the 2022–23 season.

Rodri has earned various accolades for his passing accuracy, composure under pressure, and exceptional reading of the game. He is regarded as the best holding midfielder in the world in the past decade. After Rodri was announced as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, his fellow Manchester City teammate İlkay Gündoğan said in a post on X:

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Rodri is the perfect midfielder and there’s no one that plays his position better than he does—there are so many clubs in Europe that are looking for a world class holding midfielder, but in the end there’s only him!

In August 2026 Rodri signed a four-year deal with FC Barcelona with a transfer fee of about £65 million ($87.8 million).

International career

Rodri won the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Spain’s youth team. He made his senior international debut in 2018 and has since represented Spain at major tournaments, including UEFA Euro 2020 and 2024, and the 2022 and 2026 editions of the FIFA World Cup. Rodri was also a member of the Spanish squad that won the 2023 UEFA Nations League and was named the best player of the finals. He was named the Player of the Tournament as Spain lifted the Euro 2024 trophy.

Injury

In September 2024 Rodri ruptured his ACL during a match against Arsenal, in just his third Premier League appearance of the season. He underwent surgery and was expected to miss the rest of the season. His absence had a significant impact on Manchester City’s performances, as the club failed to win a single trophy for the first time since the 2016–17 season. Rodri returned to the field eight months after being injured, during Manchester City’s league match against the AFC Bournemouth team in May 2025.