Spanish star
Golden Ball winner – Is Rodri now the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or?
©IMAGO
“Well, we have always said for a long time that he is the best player in the world,” Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente said about Rodri after his side had won the World Cup. There is indeed a good case to be made that Rodri could win his second Ballon d’Or this fall. After all, FIFA already awarded him the Golden Ball, which is given to the best player at the World Cup.
Stats
Rodri
Defensive Midfield
Spain
8
0
0
At a tournament by individual artists like Kylian Mbappé, who broke the all-time goalscoring record with 22 goals across three tournaments after scoring ten in this edition, the way Erling Haaland carried Norway to the quarterfinals, and, of course, the unstoppable Lionel Messi. At 39, Messi still managed an incredible eight goals in eight games for Argentina. The Inter Miami CF star also produced two assists that helped Argentina overcome a 1-0 deficit against England in the semifinal (2-1).
Mbappé 1st
The top goalscorers at the 2026 World Cup
In fact, it seemed like it was destiny that Messi would win a second World Cup in a row. Despite his age, the playmaker was still capable of deciding games on his own. It is remarkable when one thinks about it. It, therefore, almost felt like an unstoppable force hit an immovable object when Messi and Argentina met a Spain side that had conceded just one goal at the 2026 World Cup.
Player Comparison
Rodri
Lionel Messi
Manchester City
Inter Miami CF
€50.00m
Market Value
€15.00m
30
Age
39
Defensive Midfield
Position
Right Winger
30/06/2027
Contract until
31/12/2028
Full Player Comparison
Rodri after ACL injury – Need to be "more patient'
Anyone familiar with the phrase will know it is a paradox. An unstoppable force cannot exist in the same universe as an immovable object. On Sunday, down on the sunbaked field at MetLife Stadium, it couldn’t be either one or the other. And it turned out that Messi, despite all his brilliance, couldn’t overcome a Spain side with an incredible Rodri in the lineup. The very same Rodri, who suffered an ACL injury in 2024/25 and then spent most of last season working his way back to fitness, missing games here and there with minor issues.
Rodri
His injury history at a glance
There was even a subtext going on that Rodri might have been done. “He still has so much future ahead of him,” De la Fuente said. “I hope in the future when players go through a tough time, we are more patient.” De la Fuente was patient with his midfielder, and it paid off big time. Rodri was once again dominant in the final, completing 94 of 99 passes, but most importantly, his organizational skills kept Spain together; because of him, the likes of Pau Cubarsí in defence were able to shine.
Market Value
Rodri
Defensive Midfield
€50.00m
His dominance in midfield also enabled a relatively toothless Spain side to dominate opponents, scoring just 1.75 goals per game. So will it be enough to win the Ballon d’Or? Rodri did win the award in 2024. Back then, Spain also dominated a tournament: the 2026 Euros in Germany. Rodri was Spain’s most important player. The same is the case once again.
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