Montenegro's summer of famous visitors continues. After NBA legend Magic Johnson and tennis great Novak Đoković, the country is now hosting Rodri (Rodrigo Hernández) - captain of the Spanish national team, newly crowned world champion, and winner of the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2026 World Cup.
The Manchester City midfielder was photographed at the Forza restaurant on the slopes of Lovćen, at the famous Kuk viewpoint above Kotor, where he took in one of the most celebrated panoramas in the Mediterranean: the full sweep of the Bay of Kotor from nearly a thousand meters above the water.
According to Vijesti, Rodri is staying at the One&Only Portonovi resort on the coast. He is spending part of his stay touring the north of Montenegro before returning to the Adriatic.
From the World Cup Final to the Adriatic
The timing of the visit makes it remarkable. On 19 July, Rodri captained Spain to a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in the World Cup final in New York, securing the country's second world title. He was named the tournament's best player, completing one of modern football's great comeback stories - from a ruptured ACL in September 2024, through a Ballon d'Or won weeks later, to the summit of the sport less than two years on.
Barely two weeks after lifting the trophy, the 30-year-old chose Montenegro to disconnect. For a player whose summer could have taken him anywhere in the world, the choice says something about where the Adriatic's quieter coast now sits on the map of elite travelers.
Local guests who encountered the Spaniard describe him as relaxed and approachable, happy to pose for photographs - a low-key presence far from the noise that followed him across North America this summer.
Why Lovćen and the Serpentine
The spot where Rodri was photographed is no ordinary restaurant terrace. The Kuk viewpoint sits on the historic Kotor-Cetinje road, the old serpentine route whose 25 hairpin turns climb the mountainside from the bay toward Lovćen National Park. The view from the top - taking in Kotor, Tivat, the Verige strait, and the open sea beyond - is regularly ranked among the finest in Europe.
The serpentine has become one of Montenegro's signature experiences for international visitors, combining a dramatic drive with the country's most important national symbol: Lovćen, the mountain that gave Montenegro its name, crowned by the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš at 1,657 meters.
A Summer of Big Names
Rodri's visit extends a season in which Montenegro has hosted a steady procession of global figures. Magic Johnson returned to Porto Montenegro on his annual Adriatic yacht tour. Novak Đoković spent part of his summer on the Montenegrin coast, as he has for years. In June, the country hosted the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, and in October it will stage the World Travel Awards Europe Gala at Kotor Bay.
Individually, each visit is a pleasant headline. Together, they form a pattern: Montenegro has quietly become a fixture on the itineraries of people who can go anywhere - and increasingly choose to come here.
For the world champion, the next stop is the country's north, where the mountains of Durmitor and the Tara Canyon offer a different kind of spectacle from the one he enjoyed above the bay. Then, like most who visit, he'll be back on the coast before the summer is out.
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