Rodri said Manchester City can dominate Europe for years to come after scoring the most important goal in the club's history.
Sergio Aguero's dramatic last-gasp winner to land City's first Premier League title in 2012 remains an indelible and iconic moment in the club's history.
But Rodri's clinical 68th-minute finish, through a crowd of players, could prove to be the goal that sees City go on to become a major force in Europe.
Midfielder Rodri predicted City's first Champions League title will be the first of many, with the Blues capable of ruling Europe in the seasons ahead.
“It was so important to win against Inter because we can build a legacy for the future,” said Rodri, moments after coming off the pitch in Istanbul.
“We can trust in ourselves that we did it and this is what teams like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, AC Milan - these kinds of clubs - did in the past.
“So yes, we believe we can do it again. I think that’s why it’s so important. The good thing is we won, but we've created a culture and we want more. With guys like Erling Haaland, who is just 22, and the lads coming through, we have a very good squad for the next few years.
“But I don’t want to forget players like Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Vincent Kompany - many players who had been working eight, nine, 10 years at this club to help it arrive at this level.
“We take the fruits of their labour and this victory is for all of them. I said to the chairman Khaldoon 'This is the work of 10 to 15 years behind us'.”
Rodri said City's near-misses in the competition, including defeat in the 2021 final to Chelsea and last season's agonising semi-final exit to Real Madrid, had helped them develop the mindset required to finally go all the way.
“You have to push, even though some years it’s not been fair for us," said Rodri. “Sport is like this. You have to keep going and keep going and, in the end, God gave this amazing present for all of us. The fact we’d been so close, but not in the best way, was massive for us.
“I don’t want to say it was unfair, but we didn’t go through, by small things, little details, and now, by little details, we're champions."
Rodri kept a cool head to score the goal that finally saw City crowned champions of Europe and revealed the crucial split-second change of mind that enabled him to find the net.
“I think it was the only time I went forward in the game, because Inter was so narrow I wanted to make sure the two strikers weren’t comfortable,” said Rodri.
“In that moment, I just saw the space. In the first moment I thought about shooting strong, but then I realised there were six or seven players in the goal area.
“So I was like 'No, I’m going to put it in the first post'. The end result was incredible, but there was still half-an-hour to go, so it was a big effort from all of us."
For Rodri, victory was a personal triumph, having been left out of the starting line-up for City's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 final in Porto.
Since then, the 26-year-old, bought from Atletico Madrid for £62.6million in 2019, has developed into arguably the best holding midfielder in the world.
“They trusted me to come here, even though the change wasn’t easy,” said Rodri. "It was a new culture for me and now I've scored the most important goal in the history of this club. We deserved it. What a season.”
