Spain midfielder Rodri was forced off midway through his side’s Euro 2024 Final win over England, but that wasn’t going to take any of the gloss off what he believes was the best day of his career
Rodri was named player of the tournament after Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and hailed the “best day” of his career.
The Manchester City midfielder went off injured at half-time in Berlin’s Olympiastadion but watched on as La Roja defeated England 2-1 thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th minute winner.
Rodri, 28, has won four Premier League titles, the FA Cup and scored the winner in the Champions League final in 2023 to clinch a historic treble for his club. But after a tournament where Luis de la Fuente’s team were the undoubted best side, and beat Croatia, Italy, France, Germany and England en route to lifting the trophy, Rodri insisted this was the biggest achievement to date.
“This is probably the best day of my career,” he said. “We are European champions, as difficult as that is. We have become Europe’s most successful national team. Previous generations showed us the way. In sport, as in life, when you leave it all out there, you are rewarded.”
He continued: “We have made history, beating four former world champions in the process. We got through the toughest draw and it speaks for the mentality of the team.
“This has been cultivated. Many of us were champions at Under-17, Under-19, Under-21 level – Luis de la Fuente knew what he was doing.”
Rodri took the tournament’s best player crown while Athletic Bilbao’s in-demand winger Nico Williams claimed player of the match in the final. Williams opened the scoring just 69 seconds into the second period and he admitted: “Right now, we are not really aware of what we’ve done.
“We return to Spain tomorrow [Monday] and then we’ll be able to enjoy this with the fans who have always given us love and warmth. We’ve made history.
“Every footballer dreams of a moment like this. This is for everybody who believed in me from the very beginning.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Official EURO 2024 Spain v England Final Programme
The official programme includes interviews with EURO-winning stars, a delve into finals of the past, plus a focus on the two finalists. Order your copy now!