Rodri: Why should he be among the favorites for the Ballon d’Or?

The 2023-24 football season has gone down in history for a few weeks now, with Manchester cityTo get impressions by beating the trilogy. “Natives” with Pep Guardiola At the wheel, they got to the “Promised Land” and completed the route in the best way. Retaining seasoned players in the Premier League and FA Cup had become everyday for City, but a burning ‘lust’ was Champions LeagueIt was achieved and this large group was proven after several “handcuffs”.

Pep’s soccer machine had all the elements that allowed her to achieve this feat, as her roster was full of quality. addition HallandThe summer of 2022 was the last missing piece of the puzzle, as the Norwegian reached a total 56 goals In a history-making season, the De Bruyne Prove once again that he is the best “playmaker”, or Anderson He was the wall every home defense coach wants, while also Jack Grealish He made a huge “payback” on the millions spent on wearing blue clothes.

But no machine can have the same performance without the help of…a computer, and City was lucky in that it was the luckiest. We are talking about him, of course Rodriwho from the point of view was the “golden” scorer of the Istanbul final, but also perhaps the most improved footballer of the last three years.

The Spanish midfielder is not the shining star who graces the sport of his class, nor is anyone Cheap imitation By Sergio Busquets. It is among his best “six”. 21st centurywith his name appearing alongside those of Casemiro, Xabi Alonso, Busquets and even Makelele.

But does the 27-year-old Madrid midfielder’s name deserve to be included in the Ballon d’Or debate?

The answer from many football fans may be no. He would definitely be called “Ugly” because of his physique and his hidden compassion for the situation he’s fighting in. But why don’t we look at it a little differently?

Rodri had a season shocking. Every year and getting better, in a league where the pressure is massive, the speeds are high with footballers running in devilish strides and where strength and technique “come together” harmoniously. If we look at the recent past, and we want to compare Rodri with a footballer who played in the same position, we will find Sergio Busquets.

The Catalan fit in perfectly with her senior squad Barcelona, as he was flanked by Xavi and Andres Iniesta, while something similar happened with the Spanish national team, where Cesc Fabregas also entered the equation. The strikers that the Blaugrana legend has worked with are Lionel Messi, David Villa and Samuel Eto’o, while it wouldn’t be too early to say he spent his entire career at the Camp Nou.

Here comes the contrast. Rodri, “survived” in a more sophisticated football that even the stars and athletes focus all attention on them.

Yes, he has De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Haaland, Foden and Mahrez around him. But his brain is always a second or two ahead and his thinking aligns with his teammates’ “wishes”. In the defensive part he is not ruthless, but he is always equal.

In scoring, he provides solutions, having scored crucial goals in the past two seasons. The first was the equalizing goal in the excitement of the last match with Aston Villa Which gave the championship last season to the “compatriots” and, of course, the second was in Istanbul with Inter, who sent the trophy with “big ears” to Manchester.

As for creation? The Spaniard “cuts and sews” with absolute precision in conveying the match, while not panicking whenever he is under pressure, while that is impressive. 91.3% in his all-around passing efforts. Much more so for the Premier League, as City’s opponents try to press high to prevent buildup and avoid the risks involved in their game.

In everything, we must certainly include those standards Which is now required to serve as a “favorite” for the Golden Ball.

Bad lies. The most likely scenario is seeing it Lionel Messi For the eighth time in his career, he was named the best soccer player on the planet, due to his victory world Cup Qatar “Pulga” has been searching for that special trophy for years, and is considered by many to be the best the sport has ever given birth to and always has all the attention.

The next name that could be included in this discussion is his own Halland. The Norwegian was the absolute “cannonball” of the completed season, he broke records that were “spider” and worthy data to be in the top three. Among other things, Kylian Mbappe will take a place among the leaders, as will De Bruyne. Let’s not forget from 2008 onwards, the ‘dipole’ of Messi and Ronaldo was only broken by Luka Modric and the Karim Benzema. Some of the runners-up in all those years were Xavi, Iniesta, Ribery, Van Dijk, Jorginho and even Neuer!

What is the common denominator between them? Big cup. It could be the Champions League, the European Championship, or the World Cup. Of course their individual stats and achievements weren’t secondary but their reward was these trophies. Certainly all of the aforementioned are wronged, and have not added that much distinction to their resume, but that is a different discussion.

Rodri from the beginning of May 2023 until the middle of June He won four. The trilogy with City, but also Nations League with the Spanish national team Demolish the arguments of those who disagree and at the same time add one more to the “super rappers”.

If football is fair and fans love the sport, why not see the Spanish midfielder stand with it The golden ball? For all the Ribery, Sneijder and Iniesta who fail to win this award, Modric, Benzema and… Rodri, of all kinds, must make up for it!

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