Rodri has capped an extraordinary career with the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Spanish winner of the award since it was introduced in 1978. The 30-year-old joins Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Zinedine Zidane as the only men’s players in history to have won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Ballon d’Or.
The achievement is all the more remarkable given the setbacks Rodri faced after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2024. Questions emerged over whether he could return to the form that delivered the Treble with Manchester City in 2023 and the Euros with Spain a year later. His recovery was gradual, with only glimpses of his best during last season, but it appears the Spaniard used that time to build towards a full return at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Rodri was central to Spain’s run to World Cup glory, featuring in all eight of their matches. He completed 756 passes throughout the tournament — the most in a single edition on record since 1966 — and led the metrics for touches (910), passes in the opposition half (428), line-breaking passes (122) and line-breaking passes in the final third (76).
In the final itself, Rodri completed 101 passes, making him one of only three players on record since 1966 to surpass 100 passes in a World Cup final. Brazil’s Dunga managed 130 in 1994, while Spain defender Pau Cubarsi completed 121 in the same match as Rodri this year.
With his Manchester contract having one year remaining and Real Madrid reportedly interested, Rodri’s future remains unresolved. But whatever comes next for Spain’s midfield conductor, his place among the game’s all-time greats is now secure.
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
