Rodri — full name Rodrigo Hernández Cascante — was born on 22 June 1996 in Madrid, Spain. He began his development at Atlético Madrid's academy before being released in 2013, after which he joined Villarreal's youth setup. He made his senior debut for Villarreal B in February 2015 and worked his way into the first team, earning his La Liga debut in April 2016. After two full seasons in the top flight with Villarreal, he returned to Atlético Madrid on a five-year deal in the summer of 2018.
Manchester City signed Rodri in July 2019 after paying his release clause, and he quickly became a cornerstone of Pep Guardiola's side. Among his most significant moments was scoring the opening goal in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan — a match City won 1–0 to claim the club's first European Cup. He was named Player of the Match in that final. In October 2024 he was awarded the Ballon d'Or, the first City player to receive the honour and the first Spaniard to win it since Luis Suárez in 1960.
A composed, positionally disciplined defensive midfielder, Rodri reads the game carefully and rarely commits to sliding tackles, preferring to stay on his feet and recycle possession quickly.
At club level he has won four Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, two EFL Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup and further cup honours with City. For Spain he made his senior debut in March 2018 against Germany and has earned 49 caps, contributing to Spain's UEFA Nations League win in 2022–23 and their UEFA Euro 2024 title, for which he was named tournament MVP.