Rodrigo Hernández Cascante (Madrid, 1996) completed a dream 2023. Winner with City of the Premier and the Champions League, in which he also scored the goal in the final and was MVP, champion of the Nations League with the National Team (also MVP) and fifth in the Ballon d’Or, the best ranking in a Spanish player since Iniesta.
Not only that. At 27 years old, he has become the best midfielder in the world, the capital player for Guardiola and De la Fuente, and has settled any debate about his role as Busquets’ successor. The goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul now goes down in City history, of the competition and of the Spanish footballer himself.
An unforgettable 2023 that has made him be in the awards for best player in the world alongside giants like Messi, Haaland or Mbappé. A feat for someone who in England and with the help of Guardiola has reached unsuspected heights.
The figure of Rodrigo in Manchester is as beloved as that of other great emblems of the team. The affection of the people is palpable. Before the European match against Young Boys, the club prepared a light and sound show on the Etihad pitch that reproduced their historic goal scored in the final in Istanbul. The stadium went crazy reliving it.
They respect you a lot here. When they see you on the street, they don’t harass you
“I have seen my goal about 5,000 times. In all countries and in all languages. In Spanish, in German, in English, in Italian. How do I remember it? The ball came back, I was waiting for it and it was as if time stopped. In those moments it makes you think about many things, although it seems impossible because in reality everything happens in a second… The first thing I thought was to break it and that’s it; but then I decided to put it in and it turned out fine. Thank goodness!” she says.
Since then, Rodri is on fire is one of the trendy songs among the fans in the stands. “They respect you a lot. When they see you on the street, they don’t harass you. They simply greet you or say something to you from a distance. You respond to them with the same gesture and that’s it,” he says about his new role as the undisputed star of the European champion.
This allows him to walk around Manchester without problems, go shopping or to fashionable places with Laura, his partner and fundamental support since they met seven years ago when Rodrigo was still a Villarreal footballer. They frequent restaurants like Vero Moderno, one of the best Italian in the city. It is not strange to also see Haaland or Guardiola there, other people in love with his letter. The Melanzane ripiene al sugo, in particular, is delicious.
Mod cons. Rodrigo also takes advantage of the magnificent facilities of the club’s sports city, the CFA, which includes 13 grass fields, a stadium with a capacity for 7,000 people, an auditorium and a residence and a hotel where the players relax before matches or trips outside Manchester.
“We travel a lot by train. It is different from Spain, where almost all trips to away games are made by plane. Here we use the plane to go to the most remote cities in the south like Brighton, but we move a lot by train. We access the station through specific places reserved for our bus, but then we enter the platform like any other passenger and mix with the people. It’s quite curious,” he explains.
Manchester, despite being one of the most important cities in England, is comfortable and manageable for a footballer. The journeys are short. In 20 minutes you can get anywhere, despite the fact that sometimes traffic condenses on streets that are not large avenues but arteries more typical of small cities. Driving on the right, another of the great handicaps of any Spaniard residing in the Islands, has also been assimilated, although not without some slip-ups at the beginning.
I have seen my goal about 5,000 times. In all countries and in all languages
Despite the bustle of the shopping areas near Picadilly Gardens, Market Street and the Cathedral, many City players live in the centre. There are neighborhoods close to the heart of Manchester where you can live peacefully and peacefully. This makes several players on the team, including some members of the coaching staff, neighbors. The family and group spirit is strengthened thanks to this, since coexistence is almost total: in the morning training together, in the afternoon practically living together in the same streets, buildings and places in the neighborhood.
“I always say that we are like the UN. There are players of a lot of nationalities in the squad, each with their own language, culture or religion, but we all understand and respect each other. There are no groups on the margins, nor isolated people. I think it’s an important part of our success,” Rodrigo analyzes.
This has undoubtedly been the year of the Spaniard’s definitive boom at City, something that Guardiola was very clear about at the time he signed him at the age of 23. In fact, his role was key in convincing him to leave Atlético for the Etihad and not somewhere else, despite the fact that all the greats in Europe loved him. Thus, with the payment of the 70 million of his clause, City took a midfielder with whom they could dominate the world. That’s how it has been.
However, the first year was not as satisfactory as it seemed. It’s more, Rodrigo was a substitute in the Champions League final lost against Chelsea in Porto. It is what many call the Pep Toll with young people. It has also been repeated with Foden, Grealish and Julián Álvarez. Once that barrier is overcome, growth is unstoppable.
Idol. In a locker room with Haaland as the big star, Rodrigo performs wonderfully. They say that the Norwegian is less of an ogre the closer one is to him. What’s more, he has won over his teammates and the coaching staff because of his youthful and affable character. A joker and a guy committed to the club he represents.
Rodrigo, now as captain, has the mission of organizing the group, of keeping it together, of ensuring that the collective level is as important as the individual level of each one. His calm and hierarchical character has conquered City. There is no one in the club who speaks badly of him. He is a captain with capital letters. He greets all employees kindly. He gently tells them to stop making noise for a few minutes when he needs to make a video recording. He mixes with fans who tour the stadium without the slightest attempt to avoid them.
In the City shops, Rodrigo is revered. His shirt with the number 16 on the back is one of the most sought after since he entered the club’s history with his goal in the Champions League. What’s more, Juventus fans were recently seen showing it from the stands to the players of Inter, their eternal rival, to remind them of the name of his executioner. That name is none other than Rodrigo, the footballer who conquered Manchester, the idol of a fans dedicated to their new king, the AS Award that has won the most international in 2023. his great year.