Winning the ‘Ballon d'Or’ and being crowned world champion with the Spanish national team are achievements reserved for a select few. One of them is Rodri Hernández.

However, behind the midfielder’s technical ability and intelligence lies a story of discipline, family values and a passion for football.

In an article published in ‘The Players’ Tribune’, the midfielder looked back on the moments and the promises that shaped his journey to the pinnacle of world football.

“If I wanted to pursue my dream of playing football, I also had to go to university” – Rodri Hernández

A love of the game from childhood

Rodri’s relationship with football began in his back garden: “I remember when I was five: there was a communal swimming pool in the middle of our neighbourhood and a small garden.”

“In the summer, the routine was: football, swimming pool, football, swimming pool. Go home for lunch. Back to the swimming pool. Back to the garden,” he recalled of his early days.

From a very early age, the Madrid-born player’s high standards for himself bordered on obsession, something that ‘worried’ those around him. “When I was 10, if I played a match and didn’t perform well, I couldn’t speak to my parents for the rest of the day.”

“I’m sure my mum would look at me and think: ‘What’s got into him? It’s only a game.’ At home, they were fed up with me watching so much football… For me, it was almost like a drug,” he explained.

The agreement with his parents

As his talent and passion grew by leaps and bounds, Rodri’s parents tried to ensure that the youngster didn’t lose perspective and kept his feet on the ground.

“I made a pact with my parents when I was very young. I don’t know if we ever even talked about it explicitly… It was simply taken for granted,” revealed Rodri.

The condition was simple, but unbreakable: “If I wanted to pursue my dream of playing football, I also had to go to university.” There was no middle ground, no exceptions.

That commitment stayed with him as he made the leap to professional football. At the age of 17, he left Madrid to join Villarreal’s youth academy and also enrol at Jaume I University.

Far from the usual lifestyle of a footballer, Rodri opted for the ‘normality’ of any lad his age: “The first year I lived in the Villarreal academy halls of residence with my team-mates.”

“But when you turn 18, they consider you an ‘adult’ and you have to find your own flat. And that’s what I did: I moved into student accommodation,” Rodri recalled.

There, he studied Business Administration and Management, a habit he maintained right through to his time as a player at Manchester City. A far cry from the typical footballer.

A different profile, even on social media

In modern football, dominated by media exposure, Rodri has always stood out for keeping a low profile and embracing ‘everyday life’ – the simple things in life.

The absence of social media or ostentatious luxuries is part of his identity. “Sometimes the lads tease me for being ‘normal’. It’s funny, because if you asked my wife or even my mum, they’d say I’m anything but normal,” he confessed.

That supposed ‘normality’ is, in reality, a lifestyle choice: “If I’m normal, it’s probably in the sense that I’m not interested in social media or €400 trainers.”

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve simply been more interested in ‘sensations’. I never said, ‘I want to be a footballer so I can have a Ferrari’. It was because what my idols did on the pitch made me feel alive,” he concluded.

This lifestyle, which differs from what is usually seen in football, led him to become one of the best players in the world.

That maturity and commitment to his values ultimately bore fruit at the very top of world football.

This way of life led him to win the Champions League, the European Championship, the ‘Ballon d'Or’ and the World Cup, amongst other major titles.

Without a doubt, a role model.