Despite being forced off at half-time in the final, the midfielder was crucial in La Roja’s journey to becoming the first nation to win the Euros on four separate occasions, secured with a 2-1 win over England in Berlin.
It capped off a memorable individual tournament for Rodrigo, with the 28-year-old also named Player of the Tournament during the trophy lifting ceremony.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, the City midfielder expressed his personal pride at helping Spain to glory.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve had in my life,” he reflected.
“I was so sad for the injury, but how they overcame the situation was unbelievable.
“After this season when I gave lots of minutes, I gave everything and tried to give the best of myself. Now we’ve made history, I have no words.
“The courage of this team, what we’ve done, the teams we’ve beaten and the character we’ve shown, this talks about the mentality of the team.”
Still just 28, Rodrigo is sure to play a starring role for the Spanish as they look to build on their Euros win in the coming years.
With 17-year-old Lamine Yamal winning Euro 2024’s Young Player of the Tournament and fellow winger Nico Williams, 22, also catching the eye, La Roja will hope their fourth Euros success, achieved with a 100% win record, is just the start.
That’s the message from Rodrigo, to continue striving for further success.
He added: “We want more, we’ve made history and will build a legacy forever, but we want more.
“I trusted my team-mates. What we saw was that the mentality of us was great. Of course, it’s difficult, but we never lost faith.
“The substitutions made a difference in this tournament. This isn’t the national team, this is a team.”
