Manchester City midfielder Rodri has reflected on his career journey in a personal article for The Players' Tribune.
In the piece, the Spain international shares memories from his childhood, university life, and the early stages of his football career.
Despite lifting the European Championship with Spain and winning a historic Treble with City in 2023, what stands out most is Rodri's ability to stay humble and grounded through his remarkable success.
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"I didn’t say, “Oh, I want to be a footballer so I can have a Ferrari.” No, it was because what my heroes did on the pitch made me feel alive. I remember being five years old, and there was a communal pool in the middle of our neighbourhood, and a little garden," Rodri wrote.
"In the summer, it was: football, pool, football, pool. Home for lunch. Back in the pool. Back in the garden."
"By the age of 10, if I played a match and I didn’t perform well, I couldn’t speak to my parents for a whole day. I was too upset with myself. I am sure that my mom was looking at me, thinking: “What the hell is wrong with him? It’s just a game," he added.
"Rodri's on fire!" 🔥#ManCity | #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/wtkDnslH2O
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2023
"When I leave the pitch, my goal is to always make sure that my feet are on the floor. I think sometimes people misunderstand that part of me. Obviously, as footballers, there is so much marketing and media that you become a kind of character. For me, it’s “the nerd.” I remember I had to do a photo shoot one time, and they said, “Hey, you know what would be cool? Put these books under your arm. Pretend that you’re going to the library."
"When the photos came out, I had my friends from school texting me, 'Come onnnn, man. Are you serious? What is this s***? You don’t even like to read! You’re not a real nerd!'"
The 28-year-old also shared what it's like to play under Pep Guardiola: "When I had the chance to move to City the next summer, it was a dream for me.
"I had spoken to Sergio Busquets before I agreed to the move, and he told me, “Pep? He is going to make you a better player. But he is never, never, never going to stop pushing you. You will never be finished.
Sergio Busquets' international career by numbers:
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 16, 2022
◉ 143 caps
◉ 2 goals
◉ 1 European Championship
◉ 1 World Cup
No Spanish player has made more World Cup appearances (17). 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/Va9RNOaMCz
"Sergio had the same role with Pep, and he achieved so many great things, so I put a lot of trust in his words. And he was completely right. To me, the unique thing about Pep is that he is always one step ahead. He is always evolving before the game around him can evolve.
"He is never satisfied with keeping things exactly as we played last season, because your competition is always going to be analyzing last season. You don’t win four Premier League titles in a row by standing still. You either reinvent yourself or you die."
