​On Sunday afternoon, Rodri and his Spanish teammates will be at the center of the world, playing for the World Cup title before 82,000 fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and over a billion viewers around the globe.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut 16 years ago, as a previous generation of Spanish superstars vied for their country’s first World Cup crown, the Madrid native was about as far from home as he’d ever been. The 14-year-old future midfielder was spending the summer at a camp in rural Connecticut and squinted into a 10-inch handheld television he obtained after pleading with his camp counselor, breaking out into celebratory tears that baffled his fellow New England campers as Iniesta fired a 116th-minute winner into the bottom corner.Rodri arrived in Connecticut already well-established on the Spanish football radar, having joined the academy of 11-time La Liga champions Atletico Madrid. His summer in the Nutmeg State was designed to improve his English skills, and his family landed at Incarnation Camp’s Pioneer Village, a few miles from the Connecticut River in Deep River and the oldest co-ed, continually operated camp in the United States. The star defensive midfielder recalled his experience at Incarnation Camp in a 2024 article published by The Player’s Tribune, where he was surprised to find that the summer camp spectacle he’d seen in Hollywood movies was faithfully recreated in Connecticut. Large ponds, wooden canoes, s’mores and even the state’s name – “Conn-et-ee-cut” – screamed America to Rodri.”I think the Americans, they do everything big,” Rodri recalled about his time in the United States. “All the things they do are big. I remember on the Fourth of July, they make fireworks and I was like, ‘Mamma mia.’ As I said, they tried to do everything big and cool. I like that, I like the way they are.”However, a lack of enthusiasm for the beautiful game was a more difficult adjustment for Rodri. After asking to play some football, the fellow campers assured him that they’d “throw the pigskin around” a bit later. Meanwhile, Spain’s run through the World Cup in South Africa often coincided with camp activities away from cell phones and Wi-Fi, leaving Rodri “in pain” at not knowing the outcome.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRodri’s English practice has paid off, as he was signed by Manchester City in 2019 for a fee of more than $70 million and has been a mainstay in midfield for the English giants. And his familiarity with the United States has perhaps been an asset this World Cup, stepping up as arguably Spain’s top performer throughout the nation’s run to the finals.Sign up for the Connecticut Briefing from CT Insider. Get the biggest headlines of the day from our network of journalists around the state.This article originally published at Spain soccer star Rodri watched his country’s first World Cup title at a Connecticut camp.