We need to talk about Rodri.
We need to talk about how, at the age of 30, the Spanish midfielder has pulled off the rarity of ‘completing football’ by winning the Champions League, FIFA World Cup and Ballon d’Or.
We need to talk about how he joins an exclusive group of greats, including Lionel Messi, and something that was too far-fetched for others like Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Diego Maradona.
We need to talk about how, over the last two seasons, he spent 416 days out with injury before wearing the captain’s armband and leading Spain to a second World Cup title, and lest we forget, while also capping it off with the Golden Ball award.
Yeah, we definitely need to talk about Rodri.
Rodri has completed football. pic.twitter.com/2kMkQaepWw
When he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2024, many thought that it marked the start of the decline of what had already been a stellar career with Manchester City and Spain.
And his return to the pitch did not help change the narrative that was being created.
The rustiness was evident, with each of Rodri’s passes having a tinge of hesitancy, but he somehow still managed to find the receiver. His duels had become softer, his presence had become fainter. But, even at his worst, both his club and national team still somehow looked better with him on the pitch.
It was around October last year, during one of Rodri’s injury spells, that his then club manager, Pep Guardiola, predicted that the “real Rodri” would be back at the quadrennial tournament in North America the following year.
Guardiola, who left Manchester City this summer after ten years in charge, might have a bright future as a clairvoyant.
Spain entered the tournament with Lamine Yamal as the poster boy and touted as its trump card to success.
But anyone who watched Spain’s games will know that the championship was won in midfield.
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Rodri completed 790 passes in eight games, shattering his own all-time single-edition record of 638 set four years ago. But he spent the majority of that tournament playing as a centre-back while his predecessor Sergio Busquets assumed the defensive midfielder role for the final time in his career. This time around, however, there was no real challenge for the position.
Almost every time the ball left his feet, it felt like he chose the most dangerous pass or that he was about to get closed down quite easily. But at each instance, the ball ended up exactly where he wanted it to be, with the receiver in space while the opposition markers were drawn towards him. He distributed the ball 430 times under pressure with an average of 47.2 per 90, both the highest tally in their respective charts.
His movement without the ball was another weapon used to dismantle opponents.
Leading a team that relies heavily on keeping the ball no matter what, Rodri, more often than not, took up the responsibility of getting the ball in tight situations in the middle of the park, receiving the ball under pressure a tournament-high of 258 times.
Meanwhile, the defensive role of his job title is backed by his 26 tackles — the highest in this edition — a detail which has become almost unnecessary to mention at this point.
But his off-the-ball duties were most on show during the semifinal against France. Didier Deschamps’ side came into the tie with some of the most lethal attackers in world football, who were finally playing in tandem after having unbelievable individual club seasons.
Rodri completed 790 passes in eight games, shattering his own all-time single-edition record and was awarded the Golden Ball for best player. | Photo Credit: AP
Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise had scored a combined 83 goals for their clubs this season, but with Rodri acting as the first line of defence, Spain brought that unstoppable force to a standstill. Olise, who had been Golden Boot winner Mbappe’s main provider, was rendered completely ineffective by the Spaniard, who shadowed him throughout the course of the match. Rodri recorded 19 forced turnovers in that encounter, more than anyone else on that pitch, with Aurelien Tchouameni the second-best with 16.
In this day and age, without a social media presence, it has become almost impossible to hype up a player, especially without the tricks and flicks that flood the highlight reels. But when the results keep coming, greatness becomes impossible to ignore, even for the not-so-keen watchers of the sport.
Over the past eight years or so, Rodri has surely built a pedestal to stand alongside the greatest No. 6s to ever play the sport, starting with his former peer Busquets. Some might even dare to say his platform has risen slightly higher with the World Cup trophy now in his bag.
And with atleast a handful of years left in the tank, it seems like this will not be the last time that we talk about Rodri.
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Published on Jul 21, 2026