Rodrigo, leader of La Roja and Manchester City, achieved the highest individual honor for a Spaniard, 64 years after Luis Suárez; “I still can’t believe it,” he says.
By 41 votes. This is the gap between Rodrigo and Vinicius when the Manchester City midfielder was awarded the Ballon d’Or, the first Spaniard to win it in 64 years. It’s an unprecedented achievement for a midfielder like him, who managed to shine against Vinicius and Bellingham thanks to the leadership he displayed at City and the Spanish national team.
Since Luis Suárez in 1960, Spain has not had such success with the Ballon d’Or. “I hope it means a lot for Spanish Football; it’s something incredible. I wasn’t obsessed with winning the Ballon d’Or; in fact, I think others are. deserved too. For example, Carvajal, who I spoke with him It would be a Ballon d’Or just for Spanish football. Iker Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets… they also deserved it before. he declared during his coronation in Paris.
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Rodrigo was Premier League and Club World Cup champion during the period assessed for the award, as well as Euro champion and best player of the tournament at that time. In reality, the Madrilenian embodies the triumph of simplicity, classic football, and the player above the star. A man without excess, no more publicized than strictly necessary, a reference on the pitch for his teammates and his clubs, who is surely missed by the whole world, given City’s current problems without him since he suffered a serious injury .
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“When I heard my name, I didn’t have any more information than the others. I wanted to enjoy the moment, after a month since my injury, and it’s a reward for a lot of hard work and a success for Spanish football. What I say now will not be real; when I am fifty I will understand what it means that only one has won it (Luis Suárez) and now you are the chosen one. That’s why I wanted to remember other names that didn’t win it in my speech,” he emphasized when talking about being named the best footballer in the world.
Idyllic with Pep. In Manchester he found his home, the perfect stage to rise as a legend of the city’s second team, until his arrival. Under Pep Guardiola, who signed him for 70 million from Atlético, knowing that a midfielder like him was the definitive leap in quality, the Manchester team entered a new dimension. Dominating the Premier League with stunning authority and consistently among the favorites for the Champions League year after year. City’s champions are those of both Guardiola and Rodrigo Hernández.
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“I think at the beginning, during the difficult times when I wasn’t playing much, I showed my mentality. I wasn’t the player I am now, but I was resilient, I showed strength and I was able to improve in the years that followed When you reach the top, the only one who knows what happened is you When you packed your bags to leave your parents and go. elsewhere, you must be strong; 17 years old, I didn’t even see myself in the second division, but my father pushed me to persist,” he remembers, as he did during his speech at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris when he was asked to speak in front of everyone with the golden prize at his side.
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The tribute that the Etihad paid to him in front of Tottenham reflects the importance he represents for the team and the structure of the club. Moreover, for many he is already the greatest legend in history, surpassing De Bruyne, Silva and Agüero, the three myths of the city’s glorious era from the beginning until now. “Last season was almost perfect, with important goals… I didn’t think it could be repeated, but there were decisive moments, and when I came back stronger, with better passing numbers and undefeated matches, which is remarkable… when I won the Euros, I really believed that the possibility of winning the Ballon d’Or had opened up,” he comments on how he added two remarkable seasons to his career to definitively position himself for the Ballon d’Or, having finished fifth in the previous edition.
The La Roja postman. This influence as a footballer was also transmitted to the national team, where the impact was felt with the conquest of individual and collective prizes, notably the Euro won in Germany. At first, it was difficult for him to break through Busquets’ door because Luis Enrique had more confidence in the decline of the former Barça player than in the emergence of City’s new leader. The World Cup in Qatar confirmed this fact. Despite being one of the best midfielders in the world, he played this tournament as a central defender. A huge mistake that will always haunt Luis Enrique.
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With Luis de la Fuente at the helm, Rodrigo expanded his status in the national team. They knew each other well from their time together in the lower categories, and the peak came when they found themselves in the A team. As an undisputed midfielder, the team began to grow around him. The reflection of this was evident in the 2023 Nations League. Spain were champions and Rodrigo was MVP. Just a year later, during Euro 2024, the success was even greater, although with the same outcome: Spain champion and Rodrigo, best player.
None of the injuries that caused him to miss the second half of the final against England tarnished those who awarded the prize, a superiority that the football world accepted and praised. Spain celebrates that the best player in the world is one of its own, the captain, the boss, the Ballon d’Or of all.
