Spanish football has been one of the most mistreated countries in the history of the Ballon d'Or, but after 64 years of waiting it has once again seen one of its footballers decorated as the best player of the year. The rudeness to Raúl, Iniesta, and Xavi have received their revenge, and Rodrigo Hernández has picked up the baton of Luis Suárez as the only winner The 28-year-old midfielder has become the best "5" in the world and, after winning everything with City, he has risen to the top of World Football after being the MVP of the Euro Cup won by Spain. His four titles with the city and his 74 undefeated games with the English team highlight the importance of having a good midfielder on the team. And Rodri has stopped being Busquets' successor to consolidate himself as the compass of the Spanish team and one of the greatest legends of Spanish football
RODRI BALLON D'OR 2024
Rodri's beginnings
Rodrigo Hernández Cascante was born on June 22, 1996, in the Madrid city of Villanueva de la Cañada and grew up in the wealthy neighborhood of Villafranca del Castillo. He began playing soccer for his city team, where he remained until he was ten years old. In 2006, he signed for him Majadahonda Lightning, where he met the brothers Lucas and Theo Hernández and he managed to become champion of his category. His good performance on the field made Atlético de Madrid notice him and Rodri playing in the Colchonera youth team for five years. In 2012, he suffered a serious injury from a fracture of the ulna and radius, and after fully recovering, he had to go to Villarreal. At Atlético they saw that Rodri was not developing physically, so in 2013, they let him go to the Yellow Submarine youth team.
Villarreal (2013)
Rodrigo fit like a glove into Villarreal's philosophy, where he dedicated himself to playing soccer while preparing to study Finance and Business Administration. During his two years in the Castellón youth team, Rodri's football grew at the same time as his physique. The midfielder reached 190 centimeters in height and began to be called up by the divisions of the Spanish team. In 2015, he was champion of the U-19 Euro Cup with the red team, and after youth, Rodrigo was already considered one of the most promising footballers in the country. On December 17, 2015, he made his debut with Villarreal's first team in a cup match against Huesca. Four months later, he made his debut in the League, and by the 16-17 season, he was already part of the first team.
Bruno Soriano's injury gave him the alternative to establish himself as a starter in the yellow midfielder, and in 17-18, he definitively established himself as an indispensable player at Villarreal His great performances as "5" made him one of the revelations of the league, and in March 2018, he received his first call-up to the Spanish team. Lopetegui made his debut against Germany, and although he did not attend the World Cup in Russia, he managed to take another step in his career. After 3 seasons in the elite, 84 games, and 2 goals, Rodri left Villarreal.
Atlético de Madrid (2018)
On May 24, his transfer to Atlético de Madrid for 20 million euros was confirmed. Rodri returned to the team of his childhood and debuted with an important victory against Real Madrid in the European Super Cup. He would no longer win titles with the red and white team, but he was indisputable for Simeone after playing 47 games and scoring 3 goals.
Manchester City (2019)
Despite his importance at Atleti, Rodri did not enjoy his team's direct play and received a call from Pep Guardiola to recruit him into the ranks of Manchester City. The English team paid the 70 million of its termination clause, and Rodri went on to play in the Premier League to acquire a more relevant role in the game. It took Rodrigo a year to win the English league, but his adaptation to the Citizens' game was almost immediate. In addition to taking the helm of the Sky Blues' game, he gained presence in both areas, reaching the opposing goal more frequently and scoring goals of all kinds, both from set pieces and with long-distance shots.
In 20-21, they managed to win their first Premier League and were close to winning their first Champions League, as City lost the final in Porto against Chelsea. In that match, Guardiola decided to leave Rodri on the bench, although his ill-advised substitution ended up giving him a much more relevant role in the Mancunian team. Starting in the 21-22 season, Rodri was untouchable for his coach and also became an undisputed player for the Spanish team. Luis Enrique called him up for the 2021 Euro Cup, where he played five games, being the substitute for maestro Sergio Busquets.
City's Triplet (2023)
Between the teachings of the Barça midfielder and Guardiola, Rodrigo took a step forward in his game and began to lead his team in the English league. City played what Rodri played, and his scoring contribution continued to increase. In 21-22, he scored seven goals to win another Premier League, and in 2023, he scored four in the most historic season of his entire career. During that campaign, the city was almost intractable and became Triplet champions by lifting the League, the Cup, and the desired Champions League. The Spanish midfielder was key in each of the titles and entered the history of the Citizen club by scoring the goal of the European victory in the final against Inter in Istanbul.
The excellent campaign of the Spanish midfielder suggested that he would be a serious candidate for the Ballon d'Or, but the World Cup won by Argentina put the trophy on a silver platter for the legend of Lionel Messi. Despite winning all the titles and being key for his team, Rodri was fifth in the European award and was left with the feeling that a defensive midfielder could never aspire to be named the player of the world.
The Compass of the Red (2023)
His career with the city was going from strength to strength, but his career with the national team seemed stagnant. The presence of Busquets blocked his way until 2022, to the point that at the World Cup in Qatar, he had to act as a center back. His performance in the tournament was not bad, but there was the feeling that Spain was wasting its talent in the midfield. But after the World Cup failure and the departure of Luis Enrique, Rodri regained his place as the team's compass. Luis de la Fuente returned him to his natural position, and in his first tournament as the undisputed starter, he won the 2023 Nations League.
In 23-2024, Rodri won the Community Shield, the European Super Cup, the Premier, and the Club World Cup, in addition to surpassing his best scoring records. The city midfielder scored 9 goals and provided 15 assists in 50 games and reached Euro 2024 at the peak of his career. Under his leadership and leadership, Spain had a historic tournament, winning all its matches and winning the Euro Cup with an enviable game. Rodri scored the decisive tying goal against Georgia in the round of 16 and was named the MVP of the tournament despite being injured in the final with England. Spain lifted its fourth Euro Cup, and Rodrigo established himself as the leader of the new generation of Tiqui-taca.
Ballon d'Or 2024
The Spanish victory placed Rodri among the contenders to win the Ballon d'Or, but Real Madrid's victories in the league and the Champions League kept him in the background. VinÃcius seemed like the clear winner of the trophy, and Rodrigo forgot about the prize after suffering a serious knee injury. The city midfielder tore the cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee and will be recovering all season.
Fortune seemed to haggle Rodri, but only a month after his serious setback did he receive the news that he was going to be named as the best player in the world. On October 28, Rodrigo traveled to Paris to receive the Ballon d'Or and became the second Spanish player in the France Football Honors. Luis Suárez won it in 1960, and Rodrigo Hernández picked up the baton after 64 years of waiting. The Spanish midfielder honored his compatriots forgotten by the French magazine for years (Raúl, Iniesta, Casillas, Xavi...) and once again placed the figure of Spain at the top of World football.