"Rodri is an incredible player, but do you know when he'll be that player again? At the World Cup with Spain. At the World Cup we will see the best Rodri." Guardiola said that on October 3. He was right to the letter.
This wasn't accidental form. Rodri built the entire season around one destination. After knee surgery and a rehabilitation that kept him sidelined well into 2025, he sat out a deliberate block of 10 matches — from City's Champions League group-stage game against Dortmund through to the Premier League clash with Sunderland at the end of 2025. An in-season preseason, essentially, run alongside doctors, physiotherapists and recovery specialists with one goal in mind: arrive at this World Cup running at full capacity.
What it cost City — and what it gave Spain
Manchester City paid a real price for that arrangement. Without Rodri, they lost significant ground in the Premier League title race and exited the Champions League before he was properly back. Even operating at roughly 60% during his return, he helped keep them in contention with Arsenal until the final weeks and contributed to both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Two trophies, but not the ones Guardiola covets most.
Spain, though, got exactly what Rodri promised. He settled the Zubimendi debate emphatically during March friendlies. Then the tournament started and he just took over.
His semifinal against France was a statement performance by any metric: 82 touches, 87% pass accuracy, four tackles, 100% aerial duel success rate, 12 kilometres covered. His tournament total now stands at 83.47 kilometres — the highest of any player in the competition. Zlatan Ibrahimović, watching from outside the game, put it plainly after the final whistle: "He was everywhere. He was simply magnificent. Today football won."
Spain's Ballon d'Or winner is now their World Cup engine
There's a version of this story where Rodri pushes through the season, picks up a minor setback, limps into the summer and Spain manage without their best player. That version didn't happen. Instead, the 28-year-old Madrid native turned what looked like a concerning injury narrative into one of the more calculated moves in recent international football.
He controlled Portugal, dominated Belgium, then dismantled France's midfield. Spain's path to the final runs directly through him — and with any shot on a Spain-related market, that's the single most important factor to weigh. When Rodri plays 90 minutes at this level, Spain don't just win. They suffocate.
"I find it insulting to say that Rodri slows the game," Luis de la Fuente said earlier in the tournament. "He is this team's lighthouse." After Dallas, nobody's arguing.
