Rodri and the Art of Never Losing
Rodrigo Hernández has now achieved the longest unbeaten streak in European football history, with 74 games, surpassing Paolo Maldini and Demetrio Albertini's record of 73 games at AC Milan.
The Spanish midfielder hasn't lost a game since February 2023 when Manchester City fell in the 22nd round of the Premier League. Since then, Rodri has played 74 matches across the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup, winning 58 and drawing 16.
This statistic excludes his losses in the penalty shootouts of the Community Shield in August 2023 and the defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, also decided by penalties.
During this year and three months of remaining unbeaten, City did suffer defeats, but Rodri was absent. The team lost in the final match of the previous Premier League season against Brentford, when nothing was at stake, and in four games this season.
The Sky Blues were defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal with Rodri suspended due to a red card, and against Aston Villa, with Rodri out due to yellow card accumulation. In the League Cup, they lost to Newcastle in a match where Rodri was not called up.
With this streak, Rodri surpasses Maldini, who had a 73-game unbeaten run at Milan between May 26, 1991, and March 7, 1993, and Albertini, who remained unbeaten from his Milan debut on January 15, 1989, until his team lost to Juventus on April 10, 1993.
Rodri will have another chance to extend his streak when facing Manchester United in the FA Cup final. If he secures the victory, the Spanish midfielder will have won twelve titles with Manchester City.