Xavi, Casemiro, and more: Manchester City star Rodri builds his ultimate midfielder
Manchester City's midfield enforcer Rodri has created his iteration of the ultimate midfielder in an interview with ESPN. The Spaniard has been a revelation for the Premier League champions since joining them from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019.
In 259 matches across competitions for City, Rodri has recorded 26 goals and 30 assists. However, his main attribute lies in orchestrating the game with his ability to control the midfield. With immaculate ball control and a penchant for breaking opposition attacks, Rodri is one of Pep Guardiola's most instrumental players.
@ESPNUK came up with an interesting exercise for the Spain international, asking him to construct the ultimate midfielder by borrowing the key attributes of the greatest midfielders. The selection was based on eight key attributes - passing, vision, work rate, skills, technique, mentality, football IQ, and creativity.
Rodri picked Sergio Busquets for passing and football IQ, Xavi for vision, and Andres Iniesta for skills. The three formed the midfield trio for Barcelona, who won two continental trebles in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
Xabi Alonso was the final Spaniard on the list and was chosen for creativity. Manchester United's Casemiro was picked for his work rate, and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard got his place under mentality. Finally, Rodri chose clubmate Kevin De Bruyne for his football technique.
Manchester City's Rodri opens up about his chances of winning the 2024 Ballon d'Or
Rodri was a key player for his club and country during the 2023-24 season, winning the Premier League with Manchester City and Euro 2024 with Spain. The midfielder was included in the Ballon d'Or shortlist by France Football and is one of the favorites to win the award on October 28, 2024, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Speaking about his prospects of winning the Ballon d'Or, Rodri said (via BBC):
"I really feel right now that people are recognising my work and trying to push me to win the Ballon d’Or. It's not something I think about, to be honest.."
The defensive midfielder also accepted that players in his position generally don't win the Ballon d'Or. However, he urged people to explore football from different perspectives, adding:
"It would be a dream, of course, because I never thought I could arrive at this stage, this moment. I know I play a different role to most players nominated for the Ballon d’Or, but it also shows that football can be beautiful in different views. You can be beautiful as a midfielder, or scoring goals, or being a defender."
Rodri was also one of the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or in 2023 after winning the continental treble with Manchester City. However, his efforts were overshadowed by Erling Haaland's 52 goals in 53 games for City.
Ultimately, Lionel Messi won the award for leading Argentina to glory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.