- Rodri is expected to start in the Euro 2024 final against England on Sunday night
- But eagle-eyed viewers will notice his peculiar choice of name on his jersey.
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Keen viewers will notice Rodri’s peculiar choice of name on the back of his shirt when he lines up for Spain in tomorrow night’s Euro 2024 final.
The midfield metronome has dazzled for his country at this summer’s tournament and will hope to inspire them to silverware when they face England in Berlin.
But even though he is commonly recognised as Rodri, the name on his shirts for both Manchester City and Spain, emblazoned above the number 16, says Rodrigo.
He was born Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, which means that his nickname Rodri is in fact a nickname that has become common among pundits and commentators.
The 28-year-old has worn his name on his shirt at all three of his clubs to date (Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and City), as well as the Spanish national team.
Spanish midfielder Rodri does not wear his surname on the back of his shirt for either his club or his national team
Instead, he has chosen to use his first name for his three clubs and the Spanish national team.
Spanish players are known to opt for using their first name rather than their surname; Xavi Hernandez at Barcelona and Raul Gonzalez at Real Madrid are two examples.
Rodri’s decision to choose Rodrigo is similar, with the large letters emblazoned on his back simply as a shortened nickname that quickly caught on.
Several other players who previously participated in the European Championship also used their given names, including Dutchmen Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay.
Ahead of Sunday’s final, Rodri’s City team-mate Kyle Walker claimed he is aware of weaknesses in the midfielder’s game which the Three Lions could “exploit”.
“He’s a great player, he controls the game and dictates it at his own pace, as I know happens at club level,” Walker said. talkSPORT.
Rodri will be key for Spain when they face England in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday
“But we’ve seen videos (of him), I know him, first of all, there are weaknesses in everyone’s game. Nobody is the perfect article.
“But we have to try to exploit those weaknesses as best we can and get the players we have in dangerous areas to score.
“And as a defence, we have to make sure we keep a clean sheet.”