Do we like them?

Do we like Rodri?

Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record on harm and a single sheepish FA fine, but we found little about what he stands for beyond football.

Rodri is the Spanish midfielder who became the heartbeat of Manchester City and then of the Spain national team. Most of what is written about him is football: the trophies, the captaincy, the transfers. That means this column is working from a short file, and we will say so rather than pad it.

The most recent move is a big one. Barcelona confirmed on 18 August 2026 that they had signed the Spain captain from Manchester City on a deal to 2030, with the AP citing a source putting the fee at 76.5 million euros. Rodri called it a very special day and said Barcelona was his first choice, though he described leaving City as a tough decision.

His brush with authority came in February. After City drew 2-2 at Tottenham, he said the referee had to be neutral and called it not fair, which the FA charged as acting in an improper manner in a post-match interview. He admitted the charge at an independent hearing and was fined 80,000 pounds and warned about his future conduct, but avoided a ban. It reads as a hot-headed moment rather than a pattern, and he copped the penalty without a fight.

On the harm check, nothing turned up. We found no words or acts from him against LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet, and no record of him backing people who push that sort of thing. The honest caveat is that he is not a big talker on causes, so a clean sheet here partly reflects a quiet public profile rather than a track record of speaking up.

For the good stuff, he was part of the Spain side that won the 2026 World Cup, and fans love him for the steady, no-fuss way he plays. We did not find a well-sourced list of charity work in the pages we could open, so we are not going to invent one. On what is in the file he is a lean yes, and one worth keeping an eye on as he settles in at Barcelona.