Dani Rodríguez is living the dream.
Our midfielder made his 100th LaLiga appearance during our win against Getafe and reflected upon the last few years having opened his account on his debut in the highest division.
“When you are little, you dream of playing a match in LaLiga,” he said. “You dream about what it is like, how people scream and everything. I think when you are little you go to bed thinking about that.
“The day before I was very nervous, but it's true that on the day of the match I was really looking forward to it, I had no nerves and I think it all happened very quickly.
“Four minutes after scoring the first goal, it was like a liberation for me. I felt... well, that's what I felt. When you are a little boy and you fulfil a dream, it's the same, but it is just at 30-years-old.
“Yes, I remember the 11 goals, even the two that were disallowed by the VAR. Yes, I remember. I remember them all. They are all super special. But maybe the one against Celta de Vigo was a bit more sentimental, because of the situation I was going through. Not at that moment, but in the previous months. It was almost like making my debut in LaLiga.”
Our midfielder’s enthusiastic approach to the game has earned him a well-known nickname and Dani Rodríguez went on to share how he got the moniker.
“The tiger?” he questioned. “Well, it all started as a joke to a physio and in the end, the joke within a joke stuck and look, in the end I liked it. I like to be identified with a fighter and a person with character because I consider myself to be one.
“I have character and I like to live things passionately. I am very passionate about everything I do and when I lose that passion, I stop doing it. I think I show that every time I take the field, I can do better or worse, but I will never, never lose my commitment and passion.
“Many times people tell you or ask you if you are going to be playing at 35-years-old and so on. The truth is that I think not only myself, but many players, are seeing that careers are lengthening a lot. I think that is because of the life we lead, the healthy life we lead, the food, the rest. The truth is that I don't see myself stopping playing. If I am honest and with my hand on my heart, I think I have many more years left.
“I try to stop and think about how I am living, how privileged I am and everything I have achieved. That has led me to work so hard to be able to keep it, so that it wouldn't be something ephemeral, that it would be gone in one year or that it would be a coincidence, to play in the LaLiga for one year and then come back. In the end all coaches say the same thing. When you play 100 games in LaLiga you can say you are a LaLiga player.”
