Manchester City broke their transfer record to sign Rodri from Atletico Madrid, so how good is he? With help from the 23-year-old’s former mentor, Nick Wright finds out how he blossomed into one of the world’s best young midfielders – and why he’s a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola.

A little over a year ago, Rodri, Manchester City's new £62.5m signing, was still living in university halls in Castellón. At the same time as playing for Villarreal in La Liga and the Europa League, the midfielder was studying for a degree in Business Studies and Economics, living the life of an ordinary student and driving to and from training in a second-hand Opel Corsa.

City sign Rodri for club-record fee
City age profile spells domination
Rodri, full name Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, had just finished an outstanding campaign with Villarreal, helping them to a fifth-placed finish in La Liga, breaking into the Spain squad and putting him on the brink of the 20 million euro transfer to Atletico Madrid which would ultimately lead him to Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions.