What is Rodri’s full name and why does he only use his first name on the shirt? – Mirror USA in SpanishSkip to main content
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Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante is the captain of Spain’s 2026 World Cup team and the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. Find out the reason why he only uses the word “Rhodri” on his shirt.
Anthony Wood th Jaylin Cuevas
11:12 am ET, July 14, 2026
Rodri started all of Spain’s matches at this summer’s FIFA World Cup (Photo: Julian Medina/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Everything you need to know about Spanish star Rodri and the reason for his unusual shirt choice
- What is Rhodri’s full name? Given their aversion to social media, many Spain and Manchester City fans may not be aware that although the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is known around the world by only one name, his full name is actually Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante.
- Why does Rhodri only use his first name? The reason for this is ultimately simple: Rodri, as reported by Diario AS, was what he was called from the early days of his now memorable career.
- Other examples: Rodri is far from the only Spanish national team player known only by one name, as was previously the case with such figures as Raul and Xavi. Two of his current teammates are also known by only one name: Barcelona’s Pedro Gonzalez Lopez, known as Pedri (a childhood nickname that stuck), and Pablo Martin Paes Gavira, or Gavi as most fans know him (the result of a shortening of his mother’s surname, which also began in his childhood).
- Global examples: Using one name, nickname or name on a shirt is of course not something exclusive to Spanish football. The top scorer in Mexico’s history is Chicharito, whose real name is Javier Hernandez Balcazar, and the top scorer in the Netherlands is Memphis Depay, who calls himself simply Memphis. But perhaps the most famous country in this custom is Brazil, thanks to figures such as Neymar (Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior), Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), Ronaldinho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira) and Ronaldo (Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima), to name a few.
- Rodri World Cup: Spain captain Rodri has missed just three minutes of the tournament so far, and that was in a scoreless start against Cape Verde, thanks to the heroics of another player known only by one name, Vozinha (Josimar José Évora Dias). Rodri started in Luis de la Fuente’s midfield, accompanied by a rotation of players such as Fabian Ruiz, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Mikel Merino. Spain have conceded just one goal in six matches so far, scored by Belgian Charles De Ketelare in the Red Devils’ 2-1 quarter-final defeat.
- Back to the beginning: For Rodri, his brilliant performance this summer was a big relief after two injury-plagued seasons in Manchester, where he was limited to 41 games in all competitions due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and injuries to his hamstrings, knee and groin.
- What’s next: Rodri will return to action on Tuesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, when Spain take on tournament favorites France. The semifinals will begin at 3:00 pm ET and can be seen on FOX and Telemundo, with fans also able to watch it streaming on FOX ONE and Peacock.
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