THE Spanish football player who led the chants of Gibraltar español after Spain beat England in the final of Euro 2024 said his English teammates ‘didn’t even know what Gibraltar is.’
Rodri Hernandez, who recently won the coveted Ballon d’Or, was handed a one match ban by UEFA for leading the ‘political’ song during Spain’s celebrations.
He recently appeared on Spanish TV in his first interview since claiming the award, where Spanish journalists quizzed him about how he was received when he returned to his club Manchester City.
“And your chants of Gibraltar español, didn’t the English find it shocking?” asked presenter Juanma Castaño.
“They didn’t know where Gibraltar was!” Rodri responded to laughter on the TV show El Partidazo de Cope.
“I asked them if they had heard about [the controversy]. And they said, ‘Gibraltar, what is that?’.”
He added: “Imagine what would have been awaiting me in the dressing room in England if the English had won the final. Put yourself in that perspective.”
What the Spanish midfielder dismissed as a simple joke caused outrage in Gibraltar, which protested to the governing body UEFA over the ‘deeply offensive’ chanting.
Rodri along with Spain captain Alvaro Morata was sanctioned after leading the Spanish players and the throngs who had turned out to celebrate Spain’s victory at the Plaza de Cibeles on July 21.
The player is currently out with a long-term cruciate ligament injury.
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Another “ball kicker” with all his brains in his feet. Same as the majority of his English team mates. An incredibly talented player who should limit himself to making statements about topics he is truly informed about e.g. football.