At 27, Rodrigo Hernandez is looked up to in the National Team dressing room, not surprising for a European champion with Manchester City and a player recognised as one of the best in his position on the planet. He is a player who has a lot of experience under his belt and has more than adapted to the demands of the Premier League and to those of his club. He moved to England in 2019 and now returns with Spain to the ground where he made his debut in the English league, the London Stadium.
It was on 10 August 2019, a West Ham-Manchester City match that ended with the away team trouncing the home side by five goals to nil. Rodrigo, a starter that day, played the full match and showed all the signs of the glittering play City fans would fall in love with in the years to come. "This stadium brings back beautiful memories for me. I played my first game in the Premier League here, we won 5-0 against West Ham.
First times, as everyone knows, are always special and Rodrigo, with his fine memory, recounts that 10 August in detail: "I remember some funny anecdotes. I remember I took a pretty bad knock and the referee arrived and said something like 'welcome to this league'. I have very happy memories, things went well and I got to experience English football first hand. I also shared a dressing room with players like David Silva, Aymeric (Laporte)...".
He has now played 48 games for the national team, is one of the team’s captains and is the central pivot upon which Luis de la Fuente's team revolves. He was the best player in the final phase of the recent Nations League that took Spain back to the summit of continental football and Rodri wants that momentum to drive the team on to success at the coming European Championships. From the London Stadium, and even though it is a friendly, Rodrigo is calling for a good result to keep up the positive momentum: "Let's hope that the national team plays at a great level and we can win".