Youth career After playing for
Spain at
under-16,
under-19 and
under-21 levels, Rodri was first selected by the full side on 16 March 2018 for two friendlies with
Germany and
Argentina. He made his debut five days later, replacing
Thiago Alcântara late in the 1–1 draw against Germany in
Düsseldorf.
Senior career 2018–2021: UEFA Nations League and UEFA Euro 2020 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. After being an unused substitute in the first match at
Wembley Stadium, he made his competitive debut as a 59th minute substitute for
Sergio Busquets in the 6–0 win over
Croatia on 11 September. A month later, Rodri made his first start for Spain in a 4–1 friendly win over
Wales in Cardiff and was named
man of the match by the
BBC. Rodri played in seven of Spain's ten matches during
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, starting in five. On 17 November 2020, Rodri scored his first senior international goal in Spain's 6–0 win over 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. In June 2021, he was included in
Luis Enrique's
24-man squad for the postponed
UEFA Euro 2020 finals. In the absence of captain Sergio Busquets due to
COVID-19, Rodri started the team's first two matches of the tournament as they drew 0–0 with
Poland and 1–1 with
Sweden. 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. In the round of 16 match against Croatia, Rodri replaced Busquets in the 102nd minute as the team won 5–3 after
extra time. 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. Although Rodri's kick was saved by Swiss goalkeeper
Yann Sommer, Spain won the shootout 4–2 to reach the semi-final. Rodri appeared as a 70th-minute substitute for
Koke as Spain drew 1–1 with
Italy in the semi-final, losing 4–2 in the penalty shootout. In October 2021, Rodri was included in Spain's squad for the Nations League finals. On 10 October, he started in Spain's 2–1 defeat against France in
the final, playing 84 minutes at the
San Siro in Milan. and was used as a central defender. He played the full 90 minutes in Spain's three
Group E matches, where they won 7–0 against
Costa Rica, drew 1–1 with Germany and lost 2–1 to
Japan. In the
round of 16, he played 120 minutes of the team's 0–0 draw with
Morocco, as
La Roja were eliminated after losing 3–0 in the penalty shootout. After the international retirement of Sergio Busquets on 16 December 2022, Rodri succeeded him as Spain's midfield pivot. On 28 March 2023, he captained the team for the first time in their second
UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier, where they lost 2–0 to
Scotland at
Hampden Park. In June 2023, Rodri was named as Player of the Finals for the
2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He started in both the semi-final against Italy and the
final against Croatia, the latter of which Spain won via a penalty shootout, with Rodri scoring his spot kick. He was named the best player of the tournament.
UEFA Euro 2024 In June 2024, Rodri was named in Spain's squad for
UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. In the team's final warm-up match – a 5–1 win over
Northern Ireland in Mallorca – he won his 50th
cap for Spain. 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. Rodri helped Spain reach and win the
UEFA Euro 2024 final with an outstanding tournament performance, as he was awarded the best player of the tournament, scoring one goal, and having a 92% passing accuracy. Spain defeated England 2–1 to secure their fourth European championship. 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. During Spain's celebrations of their
Euro 2024 victory over England, Rodri and Spanish captain
Álvaro Morata were filmed chanting "Gibraltar is Spanish". The chants were labelled "rancid", "discriminatory" and "hugely offensive to Gibraltarians" by the
Government of Gibraltar, and led to an official complaint to
UEFA by the government and the
Gibraltar Football Association. After an investigation was opened on 19 July, Rodri and Morata were formally charged under Article 11 of UEFA on 23 July. The pair were given a one match ban. ==Player profile==