It is May 29, 2021, the day of the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea in Porto. The warm Portuguese city is eagerly awaiting the clash between the English superpowers, especially because there are few highlights in the sporting field in corona time. When the Manchester City line-up is released by manager Josep Guardiola, the shock is quite big among the supporters who have traveled to Portugal. The Rodri, so popular with the supporters, is missing in the basic line-up. There is also great surprise among the various English analysts. Why does Guardiola put the best performing midfielder on the bench in the most important game of the year?
The 1.91 meter long Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, or Rodri for short, may already be taking into account a role as a reserve in the Estádio do Dragão at the end of May. In the second meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, the sometimes unpredictable Guardiola prefers 35-year-old Fernandinho. The routine must, together with Ilkay Gundogan, provide extra defensive security against Neymar and the like. Manchester City win convincingly with 2-0 and after the 1-2 win on French soil a week earlier, they reach the final battle with flying colors. Compliments to the English champion and of course also to Guardiola, because the winning coach is always right in principle.
Where the joy of reaching the Champions League final is great among the players of Manchester City, there is clearly the chagrin of Rodri about the second clash with PSG at the Etihad Stadium. The midfielder is visibly disappointed with Guardiola’s choice and reluctantly finishes the rondo during the warm-up. His face is like thunder. Manchester City then hardly gets into trouble against the French superpower on their own field and the sulking Rodri has to watch from the reserve bench for ninety minutes. The anger at the 25-year-old inspector can be explained to some extent, because he has been a fixed value at until then the Citizens in the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Rodri listens to instructions from Pep Guardiola, who did not need him in the Champions League final.
Again strong criticism of Guardiola’s tactical choices
Guardiola again skips Rodri in the FC Porto stadium, which leads to noise in Manchester City circles. There is also a fuss and incomprehension about the passing of Fernandinho. Against Thomas Tuchel’s wily Chelsea, there is no room for the duo who were separated just once in their 60 games that season, in the group stage match against Olympiacos in November. Guardiola takes another gamble in a very important game by opting for the more attacking Gundogan just ahead of defence. In the past, the Spanish manager took risks in top European duels with AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Olympique Lyon and in each case his tactical choice went wrong. Despite the meticulous preparation, Guardiola is also empty-handed in Portugal. A huge disappointment for the man who was the best in Europe for the last time in 2011 with Barcelona.
Guardiola appears calm ahead of the despite two recent defeats to Chelsea showdown in Porto. The demanding coach tries to transfer that calmness to his players, but little comes of it, especially in the first half. N’Golo Kante reigns supreme in midfield and Manchester City clearly have no answer to the tireless ball taker. During the final, Guardiola is increasingly gesturing passionately and the calmness he preaches in advance quickly gives way to annoyance and anger. The disappointed Rodri sees it all happen from the sidelines, where he camps again for ninety minutes. Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus and outgoing club hero Sergio Aguero are substitutes to repair the damage, but it is too late. Manchester City and Guardiola’s European dream is turning into a nightmare.
Rodri in action for Spain in the Nations League final against France. Karim Benzema watches in the background.
Rodri does not give up. He starts as a basic player of Spain at the European Championship and as a substitute, the tall midfielder has an important part in the knockout phase in reaching the semi-finals against the later European champions Italy. After the short summer break, the upward trend is simply continued by the modest Rodri, because in the early months of the new season he is indispensable in the basic line-up of the all-powerful Manchester City. After his rock-solid performance against Chelsea (0-1 win) at Stamford Bridge in September, analyst Alan Shearer puts the word ‘immense’ on the game of the reliable liaison player. “When it was necessary, he gave the defense extra protection,” it sounds in the studio of the BBC. Fellow analyst Steve McManaman even considers him ‘Manchester City’s most important and best player’. Rodri has a passing accuracy of 94.9 percent, sends 91 passes, tackles three times and also scores two conquests. It is characteristic of the Madrid-born player, who does not want to speak out about his absence from the Champions League final and prefers to let his feet speak.
A rich life next to the football field
Rodri, for whom Manchester City transferred 70 million euros to Atlético Madrid in mid-2019, is not the prototype top footballer. The multi-million acquisition, especially in his early years in the professional environment, does not focus blindly on the football world and is able to complete his university studies in Business Studies and Economics in 2021 through hard work and dedication. Blood, sweat and tears sometimes, but Rodri also enjoyed the many hours of study. “I’m done. There’s one last little one essay that has yet to be handed in, but all other topics have been covered,” he said on the Premier League leader’s website in mid-November. “A lot of work went into it, but I certainly had a lot of fun with it too. And in principle you can make time for everything. Of course, being a professional football player can be demanding at times. There are not only the matches and training sessions, but you always have to make sure that you are in top condition at this level.”
“But imagine coming home at three in the afternoon and then having the rest of the day off. There are so many things to do outside of football,” said the brain of the highly successful Manchester City. “Of course you are not in the same rhythm as other students, but with patience and dedication it is all possible”, emphasizes the Spaniard in English service, who is averse to star allures. Tattoos are strange to Rodri and social media is actually completely bypassing him. No accounts with millions of followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for him.
So little has changed since his departure from Villarreal, the club he served between 2013 and 2018. Despite a generous salary at the time, Rodri did not live in a capital house, but spent his days in a shared space at the Universidad de Castellon in the east of Spain. He sometimes had to compromise in order to combine football with his studies, but nevertheless he did not miss a single lesson at the university. Many fellow students couldn’t believe that Rodri, one of the rising stars of Spanish football at the time, could just be spotted in the hallways of the learning house. The soccer star learned from an early age that he just had to behave and that there is more to life than the ball.
A few things you didn’t know about Rodri:
?? A degree in Business Studies and Economics. Never missed a lecture!
?? Lived in student accommodation while playing for a La Liga club
? Doesn’t like tattoos
?? Doesn’t like social media pic.twitter.com/srUPedic9C— City Chief (@City_Chief) July 4, 2019
No Porsche or Ferrari for Rodric
“People were sometimes completely surprised when they heard that Rodi was studying at university and as a top player still lived in a student house. And that with an annual salary of seven million euros,” good friend Valentin Henarejo said in an interview in 2018 at the request of marca. “After a few days you got to know him better and contact with him had become the most natural thing in the world. Rodri was willing to share a room with everyone and he loved hanging out with his friends and having conversations on the couch. But in the beginning it was a bit strange to see him playing table tennis, or just taking care of his own laundry.” It is not so strange that the totally non-materialistic Rodri did not appear in a very expensive car at the university. “Until recently, he drove around in a second-hand Opel Corsa. It was taken over from an old lady when he got his driver’s license.”
A well-known player in an ordinary car, not an everyday sight. Yet that was no problem for Rodri. “For his own safety, he was advised to buy a better car for the trips from Madrid to Castellon (more than 400 kilometers, ed.). But Rodri did not understand why he should spend so much money for a car. In fact, he once considered his friends crazy because they bought such beautiful and expensive cars. Rodri just wants to get from A to B, that’s all that matters to him,” emphasized the bosom friend of the versatile midfielder, who played at the youth European Championships. of 2017 dived into the textbooks while his teammates only focused on the PlayStation. More than five years later, he has become the engine in Manchester City’s midfield. Should the Champions League final be reached again in 2022, it seems unlikely that Guardiola will let him watch for another 90 minutes.