Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has opened fire on the "insulting" criticism that has been levelled at Rodri following the country's shock draw with Cape Verde.
The European champions underwhelmed in their World Cup opener against the African nation, failing to score as they had to settle for a share of the spoils. Spain came into the tournament as favourites, but their attack was unable to unpick their minnow opponents.
Manchester City star Rodri, who excelled when Spain claimed Euro 2024 glory, has been singled out for criticism, which has not sat well with his manager. De la Fuente himself has copped flak back in his homeland for his team selection and substitutions, which saw him name Gavi and Ferran Torres as wingers before waiting until beyond the 70th minute to make any changes.
Rodri has been called out for slowing down the team's rhythm, but De la Fuente disagrees and cannot fathom how the midfielder, who he claims is the best player on the planet, is having to cop such criticism.
He told Cadena COPE radio: "It seems incredibly insulting to me that people would say that about the best player in the world. Would people say that about others who are considered the best in the world? I think they wouldn't dare. But because they're Spanish, we say things about our own that we wouldn't about others... Rodri is the best player in the world. Even at 50%, he is better than most other midfielders in the world. He brings clarity, vision, balance. Rodri is an inspiration for us."
Rodri's efforts at the Euros two years ago landed him the Ballon d'Or and he's continued to pick up trophies annually on the club scene. De la Fuente is adamant Spain will improve from their first hit out with all eyes on Lamine Yamal, who came into the tournament with an injury, which meant he was only good enough for a sub cameo against Cape Verde.
"We'll evaluate it," said the Spain boss of his Barcelona sensation. "Games are decided in the second half. You don't win many games in the first 45 minutes. We'll assess it, whether it's best for us for him to start, or whether to take advantage of the opponent's tiredness in the final minutes, when Lamine is decisive. It will depend on the state of the game."
De la Fuente has also eased concerns around injured players coming into the tournament, highlighting how it didn't impact them two years ago. He added: "In the last Euros [which Spain won in 2024] Dani Olmo came in with an injury. He could have stayed at home. We decided to risk him. Olmo came, he recovered, and he was top scorer. Nobody remembers that now, but I do."
