Michael Walker: Spanish midfielder Rodri has proved a hugely influential figure for Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking Premier League side and at 28 he looks at the peak of his considerable powers
The Spanish midfielder has proved a hugely influential figure for Pep Guardiola’s great side and at 28 he looks at the peak of his considerable powers
Once again, Rodri had a curious final and did not reappear after the half-time interval, but he had done enough already to be named Player of the Tournament. Via a diversion into the political status of Gibraltar, he then went on holiday, missed City’s summer tour to the United States and was not seen on a pitch until last Sunday when he played for an hour of Spain’s 4-1 win in Switzerland.
Bar the last of that quartet, Rodri’s return is likely to be consequential. Even in a squad containing Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Ederson and the rest, Rodri has turned himself into something else. Is he the best player in Europe? Quite possibly. As he revealed in a great piece on The Players’ Tribune, Rodri lived in shared student accommodation. It took his flatmates a while to recognise the lad who jumped on his bicycle to go training each morning. It was when they saw him on TV against Barcelona.
Then there are the cup-ties and Champions League games, the travel, the international call-ups. In Bill Shankly terminology, Rodri’s a colossus. He feels educated by such experiences – “In the bad moments, when you truly suffer, that’s when you really grow”.
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