Pep Guardiola said it months ago, and for once the line has aged perfectly. “At the World Cup will be the best Rodri and next season will be the best Rodri,” he said last October, when the Manchester City midfielder was still clawing his way back from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that wrecked more than a year of his career.
Now, on the eve of a World Cup final against Argentina, that prediction looks sharp rather than sentimental. Rodri has not merely returned, he has gradually resumed control of football matches, which is what elite holding midfielders do when they are fully functioning. They dictate space, pace, rhythm and territory. They make everyone else look better. They also tend to be appreciated properly only when they disappear.
According to The Athletic, there were real doubts in Manchester and within the Spain setup about whether the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner could get all the way back. That was a fair question. A 15-month absence, disrupted recovery, frustration with the medical process and the sheer physical demands of his role all created uncertainty. This was not a routine comeback story.
What has happened instead is simpler. Rodri has played, improved and reminded everyone of the hierarchy. Manchester City look more coherent when he is there. Spain look more complete when he is there. That is not romance, it is evidence.
Manchester City know Rodri value better than anyone
City never needed a seminar on Rodri’s worth. They have lived through his absence. The team’s control drops when he is out, and that is why his contract situation matters so much. His deal expires next summer and, per the report, the club “have been doing everything they can to get him to sign a new one”. So far, “they have not made much progress”, and they plan to revisit talks after the World Cup.
Photo IMAGO
That is where the story gets more interesting. Rodri has been linked repeatedly with Real Madrid. He has “long been open to playing at the…
..
