Nineteen months after his last Spain appearance, Leeds United’s number 19 is back in from the cold with his declared nation. Rodrigo has been richly rewarded for his best campaign with the Whites since arriving in 2020.
The 32-year-old’s 15 goals in 35 appearances were among the few aspects in United’s season that probably staved off relegation until the final day. Perhaps his goals may have kept Leeds up if he hadn’t been missing for 42 days with an ankle injury.
The call from Luis de la Fuente, just five days after United’s relegation from the Premier League, strikes a symbolic note for where the striker is at in his career. Despite battling through two challenging years with Leeds and then watching Spain squads come and go for more than 18 months, Rodrigo found something within himself to keep fighting and deliver in what was a poor club side.
