Rodrigo has extended his contract with Manchester City by three years, meaning the 26-year-old will stay at the club until June 2027.
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Rodrigo: City is my second family
The midfielder, who has continued to improve since joining City in the summer of 2019, has made 151 appearances in his three seasons at Etihad and won 33 caps for Spain.
He says he loved his time at City and feels it’s the best place for him to develop his game.
“Joining City in 2019 is the best decision I’ve made in my career,” he said. “I loved every second. The fans have been great with me, I feel totally supported by the club and the manager pushes me every day.
“I’ve improved so much as a player and I want to thank Pep and all the backroom staff for their help. They are totally committed to helping me become the best player I can be and I appreciate their hard work.
“We’ve been very successful since I’ve been here, and that makes me very proud. But to be honest, this success has made me even hungrier for myself. Once you start winning big titles, you won’t want to stop.
“City offers me the best chance of winning trophies in my opinion and that’s why I’m so happy to stay here longer.”
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Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Rodri has been exceptional since coming here so I’m delighted we were able to agree this new deal.
“He is the perfect example of what a top professional should be: he has a fantastic attitude, lives his life the right way, takes care of his body and trains hard every day. It’s every manager’s dream and I know Pep loves working with him.
“He’s improved a lot since he came here and I think he’s one of the best in the world at his position now.”
Everyone at City wishes Rodri the best for his remaining time at the club.
Rodri: The dynamic hub of the city
If there were a chart to illustrate Rodrigo’s impact over his three seasons at Manchester City so far, it would be one that shows a constant upward trend.
There is no doubt that the Spain midfielder has been a key component in Pep Guardiola’s side since his move from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019.
With his keen understanding of the game, excellent athleticism, good passing and keen eye for goal, the 26-year-old has played a big part in our success over the past three years.
All of this is underscored by a sharp intelligence and keen understanding of the needs of the role itself – and its teammates.
Rodrigo, who joined City from Atletico and had a reputation for being one of Europe’s most promising midfielders, Rodrigo was soon demonstrating his quality in his first season at Etihad – a season cut short by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He finished it off with a winners medal from our 2020 Carabao Cup final triumph over Aston Villa and that powerful header scored the crucial winning goal that secured our 2-1 victory at the Wembley showpiece.
Rodrigo also benefited enormously from learning and honing his craft with the encouragement and guidance of Brazilian icon Fernandinho and coach Pep Guardiola, two of the best midfielders of all time.
His influence grew over the course of a remarkable 2020-21 season which saw City rewrite a host of national records as Guardiola’s side reclaimed the Premier League title, retained the League Cup and reached a Champions League final for the first time.
However, few would argue that Rodrigo has enjoyed his best season so far at the club in a stellar 2021/22 season.
A defensive midfielder’s work often goes unannounced and can slip under the radar, but – no matter what metric you highlight – Rodrigo’s colossal impact was impossible to ignore last season.
In fact, for many neutral observers, the Spaniard has emerged as one of the key components in City’s magnificent defense of the Premier League title.
It says everything about his character, intelligence and diligence that alongside his efforts on the pitch, Rodrigo also found time to pursue a degree in business administration.
There were numerous individual highlights in a season that proved to be worthwhile.
They ranged from some spectacular long-range shots against Arsenal, Everton and Watford at home, a crucial stoppage-time winner at Arsenal and a remarkable late goal-line block at Anfield in October’s 2-2 draw that saw his expertly timed lunge denied all after a winning goal by Fabinho.
CITY+ commentator Ally Mann memorably described it as the “tackle of the century”. And given that we ended up winning the title by a point over the Merseysiders, it was hard to overstate the importance.
Fast forward to the final game of the 2021/22 season, and it was Rodrigo who showed the class and composure to score our second and equalizing goal in May’s nerve-wracking 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa, which saw us take the Tor expertly secured home lead titles in the most dramatic of circumstances.
The stats, too, helped underscore his colossal all-around contribution.
Rodrigo proved to be the most effective defensive midfielder in the Premier League last season.
Rodrigo offered an imposing physical presence on the pitch and broke the game better than anyone, hitting 17 recoveries per 1,000 opposing touches.
Rodri also proved invaluable in possession, finding a teammate with 91.8 percent of his passes.
Meanwhile, he also topped the list of most successful passes in the opponent’s half, while his seven league goals further demonstrated his all-round appeal.
Nobody knows the holding role better than, of course, Guardiola himself.
Pep helped redefine the role of a defensive midfielder and became one of the totems of that great Barcelona side that enjoyed so much success in the 1990s.
In his speech last season, the boss made no secret of his admiration for Rodrigo’s contribution – and even more encouragingly, he reiterated how he believed he could do even better.
“I think now he’s so stable, he’s always paying attention and recognizing what we’re looking for because sometimes it takes time to understand what we’re looking for,” said Pep.
“Because he’s 25, he’s still young and his mentality, he’s a competitor who can show that in every training session and match.
“We’re more than satisfied. We knew it when we went to see him at Atletico, he’s growing and hopefully he’ll be a better player.”
“He still has the scope to become a better player and hopefully we can help him with that.”
Appropriately, the final word goes to the player himself.
“It’s not an easy position,” Rodri said, reflecting on the last term. “You have to find the role, the team needs you and I understand exactly what the team is asking of me.
“I try to do my best in every game and try to learn every day.”
Season-by-season stats
2019-20
Played: 52
Playing minutes: 3,679
Goals: 4
Templates: 2
Passes: 3,879
Accuracy: 92.8%
2020-21
Played: 53
Minutes played: 3,991
Goals: 2
Templates: 5
Passes: 4,117
Accuracy: 91.5%
2021-22
Played: 46
Playing minutes: 3,926
Goals: 7
Templates: 2
Passes: 3,860
Accuracy: 92.1%
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