[3][4][5] After stints with Villarreal and Atlético Madrid in La Liga, Rodri joined Premier League club Manchester City in 2019.

This treble included City's first UEFA Champions League title, with Rodri scoring the only goal in the final, being named the tournament's Player of the Season.

[12][13] On 7 February 2015, while still a junior, Rodri made his senior debut for the reserves, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–1 away win against RCD Espanyol B in the Segunda División B.

[15] Rodri made his first-team debut on 17 December 2015, starting in a 2–0 home win against SD Huesca for that season's Copa del Rey.

[21] He made his debut on 15 August in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn, playing the first 71 minutes of a 4–2 extra-time win over city rivals Real Madrid.

[22] On 3 July 2019, Manchester City met the terms of Rodri's £62.6 million release clause, enabling him to buy out the remainder of his contract with Atlético and leave the club.

[25] Rodri made his debut in the 2019 FA Community Shield on 4 August at Wembley Stadium, playing the full 90 minutes as City won on penalties against Liverpool after a 1–1 draw.

[26] He made his Premier League debut against West Ham United six days later in a 5–0 away win,[27] and on 14 September he scored his first goal in a 3–2 away defeat against Norwich City.

Multiplying those two numbers together reveals that on average, Rodri attempted one pass every 60.5 seconds of the season, leading all Premier League midfielders in that category too, with only Liverpool's Thiago coming close.

[34] On 10 June, he scored the only goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, securing City's win for their first title in the competition, and completing the continental treble.

[45] On 22 September 2024, Rodri was withdrawn in the first half of Manchester City's 2–2 draw with Arsenal, due to what was later confirmed to be an ACL and meniscus injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.

[49] After missing out on selection for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Rodri was named in Spain's squad for their first two UEFA Nations League fixtures against England and Croatia in September 2018.

[52] On 17 November 2020, Rodri scored his first senior international goal in Spain's 6–0 defeat of Germany in their final group phase match of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.

The win in Seville ensured La Roja would finish top of Group 4 and qualify for the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals in Italy.

[55] With Busquets' return for the final Group E match against Slovakia, Rodri was an unused substitute in the 5–0 win that secured Spain's place in the knockout stage.

[57] He again appeared as a substitute in the quarter-final draw with Switzerland, coming on for Pedri in the final minute of extra time ahead of the penalty shootout.

[73] In the team's opening match of the tournament, he played 86 minutes before being substituted for Martin Zubimendi as La Roja beat Croatia 3–0 at Berlin's Olympiastadion.

[75] In addition, he became one of 12 players who won both youth and senior Euro titles, alongside his teammates Nacho, Ferran Torres, Álvaro Morata and Mikel Merino.

[83][87] In addition to his defensive abilities, Rodri also possesses accurate passing and vision, allowing him to operate as a deep-lying playmaker from the heart of the midfield.

[83][84][88] Besides his regular position of a holding midfielder, he has occasionally been used as a ball-playing centre-back, in particular by national team manager Luis Enrique during the 2022 World Cup.

[109] While a Villarreal youth player, Rodri studied at the Jaume I University in nearby Castellón de la Plana for four years to gain a degree in business administration and management.