Exclusive: Nati defender Ricardo Rodriguez opens his front door in Seville and talks about life off the pitch with his partner Nicole and their sons Santiago (3) and Cruz (8 months).
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- Ricardo Rodriguez usually keeps his professional and private lives strictly separate. For once, he makes an exception. The national team star receives blue Sport exclusively at home in Seville.
- Rodriguez gives an insight into his family life and talks about his new life with his long-term partner Nicole and their sons Santiago (3) and Cruz (8 months).
- Dad Rodriguez will be away for a few days from today. He is moving into the national team camp in Faro, Portugal. The games against Northern Ireland and Luxembourg would be his international matches number 126 and 127.
Whether dressing or playing, Nati star Ricardo Rodriguez (32) is currently having a hard time with his three-year-old son Santiago.
When blue Sport visits the Rodriguez family in Seville, Santiago prefers to do everything with his mother Nicole. The Sevilla defender takes it in his stride. "I'm having a hard time at the moment. If he's like I was as a child, it will probably take a while. I was an extreme mommy's child," says Rodriguez with a grin.
The Rodriguez family recently became a family of four. Santiago had a little brother on the very day of the European Championship final, July 14, 2024. Even though Cruz is usually "calm and content", says Rodriguez, it makes a big difference when you suddenly have two boys at home. "Nicole and I sleep less and we're actually busy non-stop."
"Nicole does most of the work, I'm very grateful for that"
But he's not complaining, on the contrary. "I love it when things are going well." Rodriguez helps out at home, sometimes here, sometimes there. As much as his job as a professional footballer with all the traveling and hotel stays allows. "I do a lot with the boys and also help out at home," he says, "but I have to be honest: Nicole does most of the work with us - and I'm very grateful to her for that."
The fact that his dad plays against the world's biggest stars like Mbappé and Vinicius weekend after weekend is of little interest to three-year-old Santiago. So he doesn't take much notice of the 2:1 victory against Real Madrid on this Saturday evening in March in the box under the stadium roof, preferring to play with the children of his dad's team-mates or devote himself to chocolate cookies.
Even at home, football is not Santiago's favorite toy at the moment. Where is the football fever that has gripped Ricardo and his brothers Roberto and Francisco since they were little boys? "Maybe it will come," says Rodriguez and laughs, "but at the moment Santiago prefers to play with animals or wants to fight with me. That's fine, he should just have fun and do what he wants. I will always support the boys".
"We have peace and quiet here, enough space and a pool"
The family lives in a house in Seville - not in the center, but a little out of town. "We have peace and quiet here, plenty of space and a pool." This is mainly used in summer, when it can get really hot in Seville.
The family feels right at home. "It's a beautiful city," says Rodriguez, "the sun is always shining when we get up in the morning. That's very pleasant".
The only thing Nicole and he have had to compromise on is the food. However, after seven years in Milan and Turin, the comparison is not entirely fair. After all, they both love Italian cuisine.
