I used to love scoring goals but in midfield you are everywhere. For me, it’s beautiful
RODRI, THE MAN WHO MAKES CITY TICK, TELLS JOHN CROSS WHAT MOTIVATES HIM
WHEN Rodri walks through the door, his presence fills the room. Great players have an aura.
The Manchester City hero, once rejected as a teenager for not being big enough, is now a Premier League giant.
He is a commanding, dominant figure on the pitch, attributes which have seen him become one of the best players in the world.
Incredibly, Rodri put on 10 kilos to cope with the demands of the Premier League and has never looked back, as he explained his passion not just for English football but also Manchester and the fans.
Rodri, 27, is a deep thinker about the game, and sees his future more as a sporting director than a manager.
He has a degree in Management and Business Administration to sit alongside all of the trophies he has won in five years at the Etihad.
“It’s not just about the future and what I’m going to do after football, it’s also about having knowledge and being different from the typical footballer,” he said. “Football is so demanding, so stressful and if you are 24 hours thinking about football I don’t think it’s healthy.”
The Spanish midfielder idolised Zinedine Zidane growing up but also watched and learned from the likes of Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso.
Rodri said: “One of the best things I have is the way I understand football. When I watch a game, I don’t really pay attention to the ball, I pay attention to what’s going on around the pitch. For a midfielder, I think that’s key.
“I loved to score goals but then I realised how beautiful it was to move the team, be the leader and try to organise the team. In midfield, you are everywhere, you are part of everything. For me, it was beautiful and I wanted to play there.”
It is hard to believe that, as a kid, he was released by Rayo Majadahonda due to a “lack of physical strength”. But that is now a distant memory. “It is true,” he laughed. “My DNA was late growth but you just have to see my parents, how big I was going to become because my father is 190cms and my mum is also very, very tall.
“They just needed to have a bit more patience. When I was 18, I started growing.
“If I asked all footballers, they would say that bad moments, the moments you feel low, are the most important of your career.
“In my individual experience, my mentality grew in this situation. Then they asked me, ‘Are you sure about moving to England? You’re going to be alone…’.
“I was like ‘I am definitely going because this is what I want and I’m ready’. This kind of situation made me the player I am.
“I was 80kgs at Villarreal and now I am in the 90s. I think it’s the stuff they give me here – the shakes and all these things because I’m not a big fan of the gym.
“Competing here makes you stronger, your mentality and your body.”
It is that desire to improve and adapt that has made Rodri such a special talent.
And it is around this time of year that he and his City teammates kick into gear and sweep all before them.
“The key part is the one which is coming now,” he said. “You will see the best version of the players from now until the end of the season.
“It’s something you experience from the past, something you know. We just do it. We don’t need to talk or have meetings. We all know.”
Rodri also revealed his love for the English game: “Honestly, you don’t know how it will be until you come here. But the Premier League, Manchester, it’s something special. The way you guys understand football.
“Here in England it’s so demanding. It’s so competitive, they always demand the best of you, the crowds are always full, they love their teams, they want them to win and this is something special.”
‘I like being different from the typical footballer’
In England it is so demanding, so competitive. It’s so special
MY WINNING GOAL IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL IN TOMORROW’S SUNDAY MIRROR
TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH CITY STAR
RODRI