Atletico Madrid’s academydirectorJoseMaria
Amorrortu asked AlevinA (Under-11s)coach
Santi Exposito to watchanexcitingtalentin
a Rayo Majadahondajuniormatch.Theclubs
have a long-establishedrelationshipsincethe
amateurs’ Estadio CerrodelEspinohomewas
co-opted and expandedintoAtletico’straining
ground in the late-90s.
“I couldn’t believe howgoodhewas,”said
Exposito. “That day, Iwatcheda playerwith
a level way beyond hisage.Hemadesuch
good decisions and alsoplayedwithhishead,
which is so rare to seeinplayersatthatage
group. He had great control,couldpassthe
ball anywhere on thepitchandrunwiththe
ball wherever he wanted.Hewasevengood
in the air.
“His tactical intelligencewaswayaheadof
any other player at thatage.Hepickedhis
moments to attack andusedhisbodywellto
maintain possession.Hewaseverywhere,
and I was stunned.”
Offered a month’s trialinExposito’sAlevin
A squad, Rodri travelledtoBilbaotoplayat
the Extebarri tournamentin2007.He’dbeen
playing and training withhisteam-matesfor
barely two weeks,
and still wasn’t
a full-time squad
member, but he
was a leader.
“From the start
of the tournament,
he brought the
whole dressing
room together,”
said Exposito. “He
adapted from the
first moment, his
team-mates loved
him and he had
a great sense of the
collective. Just by beingthere,heimproved
the team’s quality, andthat’snotnormal.”
Exposito and Atleticodidnothesitate,and
Rodri soon establishedhimselfasoneofthe
academy’s brightest prospects.
“He was way aheadoftherest,”revealed
Fran Alcoy, Rodri’s coachatInfantilB (U12s).
The pair spent car journeysdiscussingtactics
and how their side coulddevelopoverloadsin
every area of the pitch.
“He was so clever tactically,almosttothe
point that it seemed inappropriatetoexplain
something. Tell him somethingonce,and
you’d never have to dosoagain.Wealways
joked that he had thematurityofanadult,
constantly asking questionsabouttactics.
There was never any doubtthathehadthe
mentality to reach thetop.”
It wasn’t just what wasbetweenRodri’sears
which Alcoy so admired.Theprodigy’sfeet
did as much talking ashisbrainonthepitch.
“He just ‘had it’ as akidandhasonlygot
better since,” recalledAlcoy.“Hedominates
positional play. Atleticoplayedwitha 4-3-3
throughout the youthsidesandhewasmy
pivote in front of the defence,eventhough
he could play a bit furtherforwardif needed.RODRI
HERn A nDEZ
He’s added an extra dimension to his game
now and, as time goes on, he will be able to
play centre-back as well.
“I still follow his games and you can see the
evolution in him. He can receive the ball in any
situation and without it has always been very
intelligent in his movements, but he has really
improved his distribution. He’s much better at
starting attacks with more frequency, instead
of playing the ball too simply.”
Rodri’s footballing development continued
apace, his name appearing alongside Lucas
Hernandez, Saul Niguez and Koke as the most
promising players across Atleti’s age groups.
In 2012, everything changed. Julian Munoz
replaced Amorrortu as the academy chief and
presided over a significant switch in style, from
a possession-based philosophy to something
much more direct.
“He’s too small to play as a pivote,” claimed
Munoz, taking one look at a 17-year-old Rodri
in Armando de la Morena’s Juvenil A (U18s)
team. Many, Munoz inevitably among them,
dispute that they ever said this about a player
who was yet to have a growth spurt and is
now 6ft 3in tall.
“We let him leave
Atletico because he
was a shorty? No
chance,” recalls De
la Morena. “He was
very slender because
he hadn’t yet filled
out physically, which
is normal at that age
in the youth teams,
but we expected him
to grow because of
the genetics he had.
I don’t remember
anyone putting in
doubt his potential
foranyphysicalreason.We put together a lot
of positive reports about him, were very happy
with him and wanted him to stay.”
Whatever the truth, Rodri was relegated to
Juvenil B and then redeployed as an attacking
midfielder. Soon, completely unsuited to his
new role, he was dropped. The writing was on
the wall, so he headed to the east coast to
play for Villarreal.
“I’d always been a normal height, but just
hadn’t had my growth spurt,” a philosophical
Rodri has said. “If I hadn’t left Atleti, maybe
I wouldn’t have turned into the player I am
today. At that time, I thought it was best to
leave and have a change of scenery. It was
the right decision because it helped complete
me as a player.”Villarreal proved the making of him.
“Maybe he lacked a bit of physique, but it
wasn’t very long before he grew,” said Pablo
Alvarez, Rodri’s best pal and midfield partner
in Villarreal’s Juvenil A line-up. Room-mates
in the academy, the only time the pair were
separated was in the classroom, Alvarez one
school year below the new arrival from Madrid.
School, training, ping-pong, TV, study. Repeat.“RODRI IS THE BOMB.
AT HIS AGE THERE’S
nO OTHER FOOTBALLER
QUITE LIKE HIM – HE
WILL DEFInE An ERA”