As he now stands at 6ft 2in and has been bought as a screen for City’s defence, it is hard to believe Rodri was released by Atletico as a 16-year-old in 2013 because he wasn’t big enough.
He arrived at Atletico from the Rayo Majadahonda club in Madrid, where he first got to know Lucas Hernandez.
Through shared experiences as 10-year-olds and their subsequent moves to Atletico, the pair struck up a friendship which is close enough for Hernandez to have tried to persuade Rodri to join him at Bayern Munich this summer, but not, as it turns out, to swing the decision against City.
It is impossible to know what would have happened if Rodri had not been released by Atletico in 2013.
As a 17-year-old he was about to leave a club who would be crowed La Liga champions the following season and has not finished outside the top three in Spain since.
In contrast, he was joining a Villarreal team who were just returning from a season in the second tier and, while they never finished below fifth with Rodri as a first-team player, the slightly lower level ensured the midfielder played 63 league games and 84 in total, impressing enough to persuade Atletico to buy him back 12 months ago.
His rapid rise will not have escaped the attentions of Real Madrid and Barcelona, but City have been able to pounce in part because both those clubs’ focus lies on strengthening other parts of the team.
Real are targeting offensive players. At 27, Casemiro is in the prime of his career and one of the key components of the Brazil side that has reached the Copa America final.
Barcelona have legendary Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets, who signed a new contract in September 2018 that does not expire until 2023.
