Premier League
Rodri reveals all: former Madrid player gave Ballon d’Or winner advice on future
Rodri, voted the best player in the world, talks to AS about a magical year.
Football is such a sport of ups and downs that one can suffer the most serious injury in the game and win the Ballon d’Or a few days after. Exactly that happened to Rodrigo Hernández (Madrid, 1996), the best player in the world last season and a key player for both City and the national team until a cruciate ligament rupture cut short his plans just after the start of the Premier League.
More relaxed, already in the process of recovery after undergoing surgery a couple of months ago, Rodri spoke to AS to toast to the best year of his career and outline his return to the field.
Last year we were talking about what you expected from 2024 and it didn’t go badly... what do you expect from 2025?
Right now my obsession is to recover well. I think that when someone has a long-term injury what they want is to give their body the opportunity to get back to its best and, above all, to return to a good level. That’s what my goal is: to be fit and not to have any problems.
The year, between the Euros, the Ballon d’Or and the injury, which is obviously very hard, has mixed the best and the worst for a footballer, hasn’t it?
Yes. I think that if we look at it in general terms, the year has been crazy. It’s clear that winning the Euros with Spain was the best thing for me; also with my club, City, to always be in the fight for titles. We won the Premier League, the fourth one, which was a historic title because of what it meant to win four in a row. And then, of course, there is the Ballon d’Or. But I have also experienced a negative side - the injury - which is part of an athlete’s career and which, to tell the truth, I am coping with quite well. It was a magnificent year for me.
What do you think when you see the Ballon d’Or in your house?
I see it with people and we freak out, to be honest, in the sense of saying ‘look at us!’ as you never think you can achieve it. But it is true that once you are there, in the conversation, and when you realise that you are at the level to fight for it, you think ‘why not?’ It takes effort and hard work and things have to work out well at a team level to win it, just like at an individual level. I can only be proud of what I have been doing over all these years.
When you see that you can win it, you think ‘why not?’
It has been 64 years since a Spanish player won.
It’s clear that Spanish football was owed one and I think my Ballon d’Or partly pays it off. I am very happy about it. It had been so long without a Spanish Ballon d’Or that it became significant. Now we finally have our second one and I think there is potential to achieve more over the next few years.
In 2025, perhaps? There are very strong players in Spain.
Yes, I hope so. I think there are great players from different countries and we really have players who can aspire to winning it; there is a generation that is pushing hard. It is important not to get wound up by it because in the end being named best player in the world depends on many things. Putting those expectations or that weight on players’ shoulders is not good, although with our talent I am sure that someone Spanish can win it.
“I put pressure on Lamine... but he could win the Ballon d’Or”
You spoke openly about Lamine during your speech in Paris.
Yes, I put a little pressure on him (laughs). For me, I think he has everything needed to win it. I don’t know when he will win it, whether now or in the future, but I am convinced he has the potential to win it.
What do you think of the love you are receiving from the people in Manchester?
It is amazing. I was talking about it with Kovacic: he has experienced Ballon d’Or parties in Madrid, but he told me that he had never seen anything like it. Very few places treat players as City do. I will be eternally grateful for what they did.
Have you talked to anyone who has suffered the same injury and have they given you advice? There were players like Canales or Asenjo who suffered it several times.
Yes, Asensio. I remember I called him and asked him a little bit. He’s from my generation, I’ve experienced a lot of things with him. Something similar happened to Marco: I asked him for advice and he gave me a lot of peace of mind. He also took it very calmly. That’s in each person, in their character, but he gave me his feedback and that’s always positive, because it transmits calmness.
“I asked Asensio for advice; he gave me peace of mind”
Do you see yourself winning a title this season?
First of all, I want to recover and come back well. Then I want to try to get back to the level I was at. And finally, of course, I want to keep winning.
Are you afraid of not returning to the same level as before?
No, I am not afraid. I know the player I am. I know that nowadays this kind of injury is not like 30 years ago. Besides, the medical staff have given me infinite peace of mind in that sense, that I shouldn’t worry, that I can come back without anything that will weigh me down. But when you are 6, 7 or 8 months away from the field of play, it is not easy to get back on track. Little by little, I guess.
Read the second part of our exclusive interview with Rodri.
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