For the second time in three years, Rodri will parade one of football's biggest trophies in Madrid as the best footballer on the planet. Spain have backed up their success at the European Championship on an even bigger stage, and Rodri has been at the heart of both triumphs, adding an individual award from both tournaments to his collection.
Record-Breaking Unbeaten Run and First Ballon d'Or
The first rise to the top was incredible. Building on his key role for Manchester City in winning back-to-back Premier League titles and the Treble, with the winning goal in the Champions League final, Rodri built a record-breaking run of 74 games unbeaten between February 2023 and May 2024. This streak steered the Blues to the historic achievement of four league titles in a row. Despite the cries and moans that would come from Madrid a few months later, the Ballon d'Or was deservedly his.
Devastating Injury and Grueling Recovery
It was in the United States just over a year ago where Rodri was substituted on and then off again for City as he picked up a nasty groin injury during the Club World Cup, where the Blues were embarrassed by Saudi side Al Hilal. Having worked hard to defy the doctors and return from a devastating ACL blow in September 2024 in just eight months, the last time the Spaniard left the US it was wearing a grimace that recognised another long way back.
For the first third of City's campaign, Rodri was fighting against what felt like the natural order. His body kept knocking him down, and he just got up again, insisting that everything would be okay. There was frustration when he stopped to speak to reporters after City's win at Brentford in October, having started the game and then come off 20 minutes in with a hamstring injury. He said he would be absolutely fine for the next game, with no link to his previous injury.
Guardiola's Caution and Rodri's Doubts
Guardiola was not convinced, and had not been from the start. A superstitious man, the legendary coach believed that due time had to be paid with such injuries, and if you did not let the muscle grow again in that time, you risked more upset. City listened to Rodri, but the more times he said he could play and then pulled up with something, the more dubious Guardiola became; there was a reason he said from the start that Rodri would not return to his best until the World Cup.
The doubts were there for the player too. He spoke candidly ahead of the Carabao Cup final in a programme interview that did not receive as much attention as the words perhaps deserved. "It's such an incredible thing to be back playing regularly," he said. "I had been doubting many things including if I was going to be able to come back. Physically, you are in pain. Mentally, you have a lot of feelings. I really questioned myself, but getting to a place like where I'm at now, it makes me proud of the process I've lived. Now it's about enjoying being back where I want to be."
Struggles and Resilience
Even still, there was a sense that Rodri was working his way back. If his passing range had returned, he didn't quite have the physical domination that had enabled him to run so many games before his injury. The rant about officials after City's 2-2 draw at Tottenham spoke to a lingering frustration about things not quite being right. He was still vital for the Blues between January and April, and another injury picked up after the victory over Arsenal arguably cost City the title. They were limp against Burnley days afterwards and suffered in an Everton game where they were fortunate to draw but still dropped crucial points in the title race. As Bernardo Silva put it: "Rodri on a bad level is much better than some players on a very good level."
Mentality and Leadership
What never went away was the fighting spirit and the mentality. Rodri turned up to coach players during games even when he was injured and could often be seen as animated as Guardiola was on the touchline if he wasn't playing. "When you go through a time like I've been through, you have a lot of time to think," he said in March. "We're very lucky to enjoy our profession and sometimes when you're involved in these battles to win you don't realise a lot of things. When it is taken away you appreciate what you normally take for granted. At this club, we are used to the demands of winning trophies. When we don't win for one year it feels like a long time. I know how difficult it is to win and that drives me on to get more. It feels like a challenge. Are you able to do it again? Are you able to sustain the level? That is the mentality of this team. The manager is the one who teaches us that way. He's the first one with such desperation and hunger to win again and again, even though he's already won so much."
World Cup Triumph and Second Ballon d'Or Contention
City want Rodri to drive those standards at the Etihad, but they were on full display at the World Cup in addition to a playing style that looked the best it has been since that ACL injury in 2024. Rodri purred through the group stage and then blitzed through all the gears for the two biggest games of the tournament to make more football history. As he celebrates another success feeling on top of the world, this time it will be even sweeter for the doubts, disagreements, and denials that he has gone through to become the best player in the world again.
