Elena Cascante frequently visited Villarreal Academy to inquire about her son. Like every mother, Elena was concerned and cared deeply about her child. Her queries were always about how he was doing there and whether he was working well. José Ramón Villalba, the Residential Director of Villarreal, still remembers those questions and his answers, because he held the boy in high regard. How could he forget the boy who had always stayed in the stadium to watch the first team’s training, the boy who had far more maturity than his age? He recounts that boy’s memory as:
“He was a boy who came with a lot of maturity. He was brought up very well by his family, and that created a solid foundation for his personality. He was very polite, very courteous, and a good team-mate.”
Fast forward to 21 October 2025: Villarreal is set to face Manchester City in the third round of the Champions League group stage. It would have been a regular fixture like any other match day, but as Villarreal expects to welcome Manchester City at the Estadi de la Ceràmica, they are initiating a special red carpet for one of City’s players. They are preparing an honouring event, and the boy in question is none other than Elena Cascante’s bright 10/10 son, Rodrigo Hernández Cascante.
The current football world doesn’t even need synonyms to describe him. Rodri, being the heart and soul of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and a representative of Spain’s national team, has established himself wherever he goes. The 2024 Ballon d’Or win was a cherry on his career, as he led Spain to the Euro Cup title as Player of the Tournament and played an integral part in Manchester City’s Premier League win in the same year, completing the four-peat.
This will be the first time Rodri is visiting Villarreal after winning the Ballon d’Or. Villarreal CF has prepared to honour their academy product and former player for his successful trajectory after leaving them in 2015. The club officially announced it in a press release:
“Villarreal CF will pay tribute to Rodrigo Hernández, former player and academy graduate, who will visit the Estadio de la Ceràmica this Tuesday on the occasion of the UEFA Champions League match against Manchester City, which kicks off at 9pm CEST. The Spanish midfielder, who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2024, will receive Villarreal CF’s Gold Badge from club president Fernando Roig in the build-up to the match against the English side.”
Rodri himself has mentioned in multiple interviews about his time at Villarreal as an academy player and breaking into the first team as the best period of his career:
“Villarreal will always be part of my life and within my heart because I have spent the best years of my life here” – (Rodri in the farewell press conference before moving to Atlético Madrid in 2018).
Villarreal also sees him as one of the all-time best products their Yellow Academy has ever produced. They are indeed proud of Rodri’s success and project him as a role model for their current academy players.
Villarreal set the stage for his comeback after he was released by Atlético Madrid at the age of 17. Which he had been part of their academy since age 11 due to doubts regarding his physical development Atlético Madrid released him. But Within two seasons with Villarreal , he established himself as a regular and caught the attention of football circles. He later returned to Atlético Madrid in 2018 for €20 million and played under Diego Simeone, who prefers physical football this chapter of his career is now part of history and a story of redemption.
Manchester City then set their sights on this Spaniard in the 2019–20 season and signed him by meeting his £62.6 million release clause, sealing a five-year contract. Although his initial days at City were a bit concerning Pep even played him in the role of centre-back due to injury concerns of other then, Manchester City defenders. Anyway he proved his quality on the ball. From the next season onward, his trajectory climbed steadily, benefiting both Manchester City and Rodri. Playing under Pep Guardiola expanded his exposure and transformed him into an “on-field manager.” As a defensive midfielder , the proper number 6 , he protected the backline while controlling the tempo and rhythm of City’s dominant play.
These performances led to huge accomplishments, including a continental treble Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in the 2022–23 season. He also scored the only goal in the final against Inter Milan, . Also during this period he completed a 74-match unbeaten run and setting the record for the longest unbeaten streak by a player in the club’s history.
After all this success, he is returning to Villarreal. He is still the kid with all the maturity; only his accolades have changed. He is still Elena’s boy, raised with values of humility and excellence.
Unfortunately, the sad thing about this return is that Rodri is not part of Manchester City’s match day squad. Pep Guardiola has dropped him due to injury. After suffering an ACL injury in the 2024–25 season, he has struggled to play consistently without setbacks. He may hope that this return to Estadi de la Ceràmica will inspire him, as it is the place that once gave him solace when Atlético Madrid released him the place that gave him confidence and moulded him as a player and as a better human.
The event will take place ten minutes before kick-off, giving the Yellows’ fans a chance to give a heartfelt and well-deserved ovation to one of the club’s legends.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
