Rodrigo's international journey...
It’s fair to say that Rodrigo Hernández Cascante’s dream was always to one day pull on the red shirt of Spain.
And it seems he was always destined to play at the Euros, having been born on the day England beat Spain on penalties at Euro ’96!
On Tuesday evening, 25 years on, Rodrigo will hope to walk out on that lush Wembley turf and try and help his nation overcome Roberto Mancini’s Italy in the Euro 2020 semi-final, and then perhaps avenge that defeat by England by taking on the Three Lions in the final.
If he does, it will have been quite a journey for a player who had studied the game from a very early age.
Born in Madrid on 22 June 1996, Rodrigo would form a set idea on his role and style of play, no matter what age level he was at, holding in-depth tactical discussions.
“That’s not normal in a boy his age,” his Atleti Under-12 coach Fran Alcoy recalled. “He was very sharp tactically; it was striking that you could tell him something and you wouldn’t need to explain it again. You could see he would understood completely. I had never coached a player like him.”
“I could see that if I understood the game I would have an advantage, especially at a young age when few players have that conceptual understanding”
Around that time, Rodrigo was watching those who inspired him the most in the national team, learning and taking what he could from the greatest side La Roja had ever produced.
“In 2008, I was watching Marcos Senna and Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Santi Cazorla,” said Rodrigo. “They were the ones that imposed that winning style on the team, a style which evolved and won Spain the World Cup and another Euros. I watched Busquets especially closely. He, and others, lay down a model of playing I knew I had to follow.
“When I was a kid, I was more interested in understanding football than enjoying it. I was interested in how it worked. I watched a lot of games – my family was sick of it – and I could judge if a player was thinking. I tried to add that to my game; I could see that if I understood the game I would have an advantage, especially at a young age when few players have that conceptual understanding.”
Despite his obvious intelligence and maturity, it was a little ironic that he was released by the Atletico Madrid youth academy aged 17 due to reportedly having a lack of height and physical strength that was believed to put him at a disadvantage to his team-mates.
The youngster’s physique didn’t put off Villarreal who snapped him up in 2013 - and within 18 months had shot up to 6 foot 2 inches!
By that time, he had represented his country a couple of times at Under-16 level but flitted in and out of the Spanish youth sides, but as he progressed with Villarreal’s B side, he was recalled for the Under-19s, winning eight caps at that level, and impressing alongside the likes of Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio as the Spanish were crowned 2015 European U19 champions.
“For someone of his size he is very quick with both feet, making him able to bring the ball out when under pressure.”
Gradually, he progressed to The Yellow Submarine’s first team, and won further recognition with Spain’s Under-21 side in 2017, adding a further six caps to his collection. In fact, he was nicknamed ‘Bruno Xiquet’ (Little Bruno) at Villarreal because of comparisons to club legend and fellow defensive midfielder Bruno Soriano – his boyhood hero. High praise indeed.
Albert Celades, former Spain Under-21 boss had given Rodrigo his Under-21 debut. He said of the promising youngster: “For someone of his size he is very quick with both feet, making him able to bring the ball out when under pressure. He does difficult things with simplicity. Like Busquets, he has that intuition that allows him to be well-positioned, to know where a move is going so he’s there to take the ball.”
The Sergio Busquets comparisons would continue throughout Rodrigo’s fledgling career with Mundo Deportivo claiming: “Everyone points out to him as a kind of Busquets, a physical marvel of 1.90 that does not let a ball escape, distributes judiciously as well as contributing to set pieces.”
In March 2018, Rodri’s upward trajectory continued as he was handed his international debut for La Roja against Germany, replacing Thiago Alcantara with perhaps a gentle nod to his future role in the side
He had added power and a few more inches in height during that time, convincing Atleti to return for Rodrigo and agree a fee in the region of 25milion euros with Villarreal in 2018 and take the player back to their new home at the Estadio Metropolitano.
He played almost all the games for Diego Simeone’s side in 2018-19, making 47 appearances in total – and by that time had attracted a number of admirers both in Spain and abroad – City in particular who had identified the holding midfielder as an heir to Fernandinho’s throne. If Barcelona, rumoured to have shown late interest, had though the same of a future successor to Busquets, they had left it too late.
Though he had penned a five-year deal with Atleti, City met his buy-out clause and after a fee was agreed, he headed to Manchester to continue his club career, taking the vacant No.16 shirt once owned by another ex-Atleti star, Sergio Aguero.
At the time, Txiki Begiristain, City’s Director of Football said: “Rodri has proven himself to be a hugely talented, young midfielder, who has all the attributes we are looking for.
“He works hard defensively, makes himself available to receive the ball and uses it well when in possession. He is a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s team and we are confident he will be a success.”
With 53 appearances during the 2020/21 campaign, Rodrigo seemed a shoo-in to be included in Spain’s Euro 2020 squad – which he was – and he has played his part in their journey to face the Italians at Wembley. Whether he starts or not depends on how Luis Enrique sees his team coping with Italy’s high energy pressing style. If he does, he would likely be replacing one of his heroes in the starting XI.
Spain legend Sergio Busquets, of course…
Built with Shorthand