EXCLUSIVE: Coach who found Rodri on going from 'small fry' to Ballon d'Or

We spoke exclusively to Amorrortu to learn more about the latest winner of the Ballon d'Or.

You were the first to see Rodri's potential, so you must be delighted that he won the Ballon d'Or!

"Yes, I've known him for a long time, I've seen how he's grown up and how far he's come. He deserves a lot of credit. He's been very well trained and I'm really happy for him that he's been rewarded in this way."

When you first met him, you worked at Atletico Madrid and Rodri played for Rayo Majadahonda, whose facilities are next door.

"Rayo Majadahonda have a partnership agreement with Atletico Madrid and their facilities were 500 metres apart. Although the two clubs do not share the same training ground for the pros, they do share the same pitch for matches (Rayo's men's team and Atletico's women's team play on the same pitch).

"The 'small fry' category (U12 category in Spain, editor's note) was being introduced to us and certain players could therefore have a project with us. That's what happened with Rodri. I spoke to his father, who told me that they weren't considering a move at that level.

"They thanked us but, even though they weren't ruling out the possibility of going higher, it wasn't yet the right time. He stayed at Rayo but we continued to follow him. At the end of the season, we spoke to Rodri and his family again and he came to us to develop."

What kind of player was he at the time?

"He was a boy who always had the talent and intelligence to make the right decisions at the right time. Physically, for a boy who wasn't finished yet, you had to be patient. I subsequently left Atletico, and in such a case, the coaching teams also changed at that point.

"I can't explain it in detail because I wasn't there any more, but Rafa Juanes, who was working with me, left for Villarreal and Rodri followed him. Over there, he developed and quickly showed all the qualities we had seen in him at the start. In the end, he returned to Atletico after they paid his €25m clause."

In his interviews and at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, Rodri comes across as a very thoughtful person. Is that a marker of his personality?

"With Rodri, there's everything you can see on the pitch, but there's also everything you can't see, which is the person he is. He's even better than the player. He's mature, responsible, has values and never forgets his past.

"Beyond his footballing greatness, he's a very humble person. He's a role model, an example. I'm delighted at what's happened to him, for everything he is."

Between Villarreal with Marcelino, Atletico with Diego Simeone and Manchester City with Pep Guardiola, Rodri has only been coached professionally by midfielders with different styles. Has that played a part in his rise to prominence?

"Absolutely. As long as I've known him, Rodri has always had that intelligence to see the game. He had that deep down inside him. So having had coaches like that helped him improve his skills and become the player he is today.

"There's a cognitive base, a personality, faculties linked to his character and an ease of assimilation. As he's a very open-minded boy, he's always been prepared to learn new things. This is a trait that really needs to be emphasised in Rodri."

He's also had some incredible role models, from Bruno Soriano at Villarreal to Koke and Gabi at Atletico. What's more, he's added an attacking dimension to his initial range, which sets him apart from the Sergio Busquets he played alongside in the national team.

"Without much effort on my part, I remember that he scored some decisive goals for Manchester City, even though his position is usually seen as a defensive role.

"In the building blocks of a team, he's the one who makes the play because he's capable of making it happen. And not everyone has that ability. Whether in a defensive position, as we saw at the World Cup or the last Euros, or in a more attacking position, he can do it because he understands all the facets of the game itself."

You mentioned the 2022 World Cup, Luis Enrique used him as a central defender then due to his defensive skills but also, or even above all, for his quality in the initial phase of build-up.

"His versatility means he can be very functional in many parts of the pitch. His first touch, his first transition after recovering the ball, he does it so well! Rodri has a very global vision of the pitch, which enables him to make the right decision, with precision."

On stage on Monday night, Rodri said that this was a victory for midfielders. He is not a small player like Xavi or Andres Iniesta, and he is much more focused on attacking duties than Busquets.

"This Ballon d'Or rewards Rodri's full range of skills. He can do everything and he does everything very well. He's an exceptional player. As far as I'm concerned, he plays at 360 degrees, which is the most difficult thing, and there aren't many players in the world who can boast such virtue."

On social networks in Spain, some people have pointed out that Real Madrid once considered his arrival in 2019 before he joined Manchester City but Florentino Perez thought he was too slow, which left him so disgusted that he cancelled Real's attendance at the ceremony.

(Laughs) "It's everyone's view. You have to differentiate between physical speed and the speed you give to the ball and the game. Rodri can impart speed without running and I think that's incredibly important."