In the last 19 months, the Spain holding midfielder has only lost once for either club or the nation.
During that period, Rodri won the FA Cup, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup, Nations League, Euro 2024, the Champions League, and two Premier League championships.
The 28-year-old, who played 63 games for City and Spain last season, is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024–25 season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture that occurred in September.
Since Rodri joined City in 2019, they have lost 21% of games when he is not playing, compared to 11% when he is.
Sport examines how crucial Rodri is and how much he might be missed this season following his Ballon d’Or victory.
Given that Fernandinho is regarded by some as the greatest defensive midfielder to have ever played in the Premier League, Rodri had large shoes to fill when he joined City.
Rodri, however, has taken over the role and must now be rated alongside the greats like Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira, and Roy Keane, but with more goals in the Champions League final, less tackling, and more passing in the opposition half.
However, the Spaniard claims that things did not begin so well. He described his first season as a “disaster” at the club.
