Connect with us

Sports

Why Does Spain & Man City star Rodri Wear No. 16?

Published

on


Squad numbers often become synonymous with football’s biggest stars, with certain shirts carrying a legacy that stretches across generations. While attackers are typically associated with iconic numbers such as 7, 9 or 10, many players opt for a more personal choice, using their shirt to honour someone or something that has shaped their career.

With Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, their midfield maestro, Rodri, has become one of the most decorated players in the nation’s history. Despite establishing himself as one of the world’s best midfielders, the Manchester City man has worn the number 16 throughout much of his career.

But why does Rodri wear 16, and how did a relatively understated squad number become linked with one of football’s biggest stars?

Why Does Rodri Wear Number 16?

 Manchester City's Rodri after Neal Maupay's goal

Having joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for over £60 million, Rodri claimed the number 16 shirt after it had been vacated by Sergio Agüero, who also made the move from Atletico to Manchester, when the Argentine swapped it for the number 10 shirt ahead of the 2015/16 season.

And whilst the Spaniard hasn’t publically stated the reason for his choice of shirt number, it is likely a nod to his rise through the youth ranks of Villarreal.

After spending a couple of seasons paving his way through Villarreal’s B team, the now-World Cup winner assumed the number 16 jersy for his first full season with the first team in the 2016/17 campaign, during which he featured 31 times across all competitions.

World Cup History Quiz

You scored

out of 20

Since then, except for his single year at Atletico Madrid, the deep-lying midfielder has proudly displayed his number 16 for both club and country,

But Rodri isn’t the sole Spanish midfield icon to have tasted success whilst wearing the number 16, with Sergio Busquets donning the number throughout his time with Barcelona and the Spanish national team, winning numerous La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles, alongside a European Championship and a World Cup.

Daniele De Rossi provided stellar displays while sporting the number 16 for both Roma and Italy, whilst Philipp Lahm also wore the number for the German national team.

Manchester United duo Roy Keane and Michael Carrick both gained plaudits for their efforts as the number 16’s at Old Trafford, featuring a multitude of titles across the pair.

Busquets, De Rossi, Keane and Carrick all occupied a role similar to that of Rodri and it would be no surprise if their choices of squad number influenced the World Cup winner.

Arjen Robben, Luis Suárez and Sergio Agüero are among some of the most prolific forwards to wear the number, featuring in it for Chelsea, Ajax and Manchester City respectively.

Rodri Shirt Number History

Rodri of Spain

Although the number 16 has now become synonymous with the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, the Spaniard hasn’t always worn the number 16.

During his developmental days with Villarreal’s second team, Rodri wore the 29 shirt for the 2015/16 season, before sporting the number 35 for the following season.

Similarly, he donned various shirt numbers during his time with the Spanish U21 side, wearing the numbers 14, 21 and 6 in the years prior to his first call-up to the national team in 2018.

Having inially joined Atletico Madrid’s youth setup in 2007, and being subsequently released, Rodri sported another alternative number for his single-season return to the Spanish giant in 2018, opting for the number 14.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Man Utd Get Green Light To Complete £80m Deal

Published

on

By


Manchester United may have had a bit of a topsy-turvy summer transfer window so far, with key targets going elsewhere and the problems over signing Ederson after initially agreeing a £38million deal, but they have eventually got two new central midfielders through the door.

Andrey Santos made the £50million move from Premier League rivals Chelsea, while Youri Tielemans arrived in a £35million deal from Aston Villa.

But with Manuel Ugarte picking up an injury during World Cup duty with Uruguay, there has always been a feeling that United would go for a third central midfielder this summer.

Alex Scott has turned down a contract extension

Alex Scott

And now they have been given the green light to sign one of their top candidates in Alex Scott from Bournemouth.

The 22-year-old enjoyed an impressive 2025/26 campaign with the Cherries, starting all but four of their Premier League games as they finished sixth and reached the UEFA Europa League for the first time in their history.

He is coveted by a number of the top Premier League sides, with United keen to secure his signature this summer, although he is likely to cost at least £80million to get a deal over the line.

But the hopes of completing a deal have been improved by the news that Scott has turned down a new contract offer to stay at the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth are reluctant to sell their young star, despite the interest from elsewhere and had hoped they could tie him down to a new long-term contract on the south coast. However, that has not been the case, with the 22-year-old rejecting a new deal.

That will have alerted the likes of United when it comes to negotiating with the Cherries.

​​​​​​​Bournemouth remain steadfast in their approach to selling Alex Scott

Alex Scott
Alex Scott

Bournemouth made their first renewal offer in March and talks have continued since, until stalling this week, but GIVEMESPORT understands that the Cherries remain reluctant to a sale and are happy to keep the midfielder on his current terms, rather than cashing in.

He has a contract at the Vitality Stadium until 2028 and there is a calmness on the south coast about his situation.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

United have already made an enquiry about signing him this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester City also doing the same, and the news of a rejected new contract may just see interest ramp up.

The Athletic’s transfer expert David Ornstein admitted United “love” Scott, who has been described as “special” by Bournemouth teammate Lewis Cook.

Continue Reading

Sports

WWE Fans Livid After Finding Out Real Reason Why Bron Breakker Didn’t Win 2026 Royal Rumble

Published

on

By


Ahead of WWE‘s 39th edition of the Royal Rumble, many wrestling fans across the world were excited and hoping to see Bron Breakker win the event at the Riyadh Season Stadium in Saudi Arabia.

However, contrary to fans’ hopes, it was Roman Reigns who stood tall as the sole survivor, claiming his second-ever Royal Rumble victory. At the same time, Bron Breakker was eliminated extremely early into the match by Oba Femi following a masked assault on The Vision member.

With Breakker emerging as a heavy contender to be victorious in the fabled match prior to the event, the unexpected turn caused shock amongst many within the WWE Universe.

New Season of WWE Unreal Reveals All About Royal Rumble Decision

Today, the 21st of July, marks the premiere of WWE’s third season of its Netflix series ‘Unreal.’

The show gives fans behind-the-scenes access into the decision-making and production of WWE events, and has been a huge success since the release of season one back in 2025.

During an episode of the brand-new season, Netflix shows Triple H and the production team sitting in a boardroom discussing potential outcomes and the winner of the Royal Rumble event.

Bron Breakker Joe Camporeale via Imagn Images

This scene has revealed the real reason why Bron Breakker was eliminated early and not victorious on the night in Saudi Arabia, leaving fans confused and frustrated by the decision-making of those at the top.

The angered reactions from the WWE Universe have arisen due to the fact that one episode of the new series showed that Breakker was originally planned to win the Royal Rumble, but the creative team and Triple H decided not to pursue that storyline for fear that he would be ‘pushed down fans’ throats.’

WWE Fans Rage at Bron Breakker Decision

Many hardcore WWE fans took to social media to reveal their frustrations, with one fan commenting: “GOD, IF YOU HEAR ME, STRIKE DOWN THE WRITERS ROOM NOW.”

Other fans decided to hit out at the entertainment company on social media: “Yeah, this company is backwards,” “These mfs can’t be more out of touch, fam oh my days,” and “Are you f****** serious?” were just a handful of replies to the clip.

Since Breakker’s promotion from NXT to SmackDown in 2024, he has climbed to the top of the roster, becoming a fan-favourite along the way with his high-energy performances and vicious spears.

During his rise to the top, ‘The Terminator’ has claimed the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions while also claiming the WWE World Tag Team Championship as one half of The Vision stable, partnered with Austin Theory.

His somewhat rapid climb to the top after his SmackDown arrival may be some cause for concern for Triple H and the creative team, but despite this, fans have made their feelings known towards the decision-making of WWE.

Continue Reading

Sports

Tottenham Stunned by £68m Asking Price for Andreas Schjelderup

Published

on

By


Tottenham are said to have made contact over the signing of a winger, but they will have been left stunned by the asking price they have received. Spurs have already spent a record total this summer, splashing out more than £230million, which has largely been made up of the Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke deals.

But there is more to come from Spurs, who still want to improve their attack this summer, having spent much of the summer improving their defence and midfield. A winger signing is now the North London club’s priority, and they have reportedly enquired about a World Cup star.

Spurs left stunned by Andreas Schjelderup asking price

Andreas Schjelderup

Norway standout Andreas Schjelderup has begun to attract interest after an impressive World Cup and equally impressive club season with Benfica. The Lisbon giants, who were led by José Mourinho last season, went unbeaten despite missing out on the league title, and Schjelderup scored 10 and assisted seven times across all competitions, and that form saw him land a World Cup spot with Norway, which he was far from sure to get. The 22-year-old reached the quarter-final with Norway, and he notably scored the opening goal against England.

According to TeamTalk, Tottenham have now reached out to Benfica to find out if they can sign Schjelderup this summer, but they have received a bold asking price. It’s claimed Benfica want at least £68million for their young star, who has two years remaining on his current deal.

Schjelderup is said to want a Premier League move, but clubs are unlikely to pay £68million for such a young and relatively unproven players, meaning a deal next year, when the winger will only have one year remaining on his deal, is a more likely time for a deal.

Mourinho’s praise for Schjelderup turnaround

Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho

Now former Benfica boss Mourinho was very critical of Schjelderup early on, claiming he couldn’t keep up with the physical demands of playing at Benfica’s level. But come the end of the season, Mourinho acknowledged how the winger had turned things around.

“Look, I spoke to him yesterday or the day before and said that he had a lot of reasons to be very proud of himself,” he said.

“Comparing the Schjelderup of months ago with the Schjelderup of today is impossible. There’s no point of comparison, the only thing that’s the same is that boyish face… He’s still unshaven, his face is the same, that baby face is the same.

“Neither from a physical point of view, nor from a tactical point of view, nor from a mental point of view, there’s nothing comparable. I’d say that this kid, if he continues to develop in this way, will surely be a real talent and I’d say a great, great, great talent.”

Continue Reading

Trending