There’s no doubt that Rodri is currently the best defensive midfielder in the world. From Manchester City to the Spanish national team, he consistently plays at the highest level. The match against Georgia showcased a brilliant Rodri. He was the focal point in Spain’s comeback, even though players like Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal might have caught more attention. The Man City midfielder touched the ball more than anyone else on the field (129 times), made the most passes (117) with a 93% accuracy rate. He won all 6 of his duels, made 5 accurate long passes, and had 3 successful tackles.

Of course, no discussion of his performance would be complete without mentioning his goal. It was a beautiful goal. Receiving a pass back from Nico, Rodri’s smooth first touch positioned the ball perfectly for a shot, and his precise strike sent the ball into the far corner of Georgia’s net. It was more like a “pass” into the goal than a shot, illustrating Rodri’s simplicity, efficiency, and accuracy in his play. For Man City fans, Rodri’s performance was “nothing special.” They’ve seen it week in and week out. In Man City’s lineup, Rodri is the rare irreplaceable player. Before the FA Cup final, he set a record of 74 consecutive unbeaten matches; conversely, in the three games he missed at the start of last season due to suspension, City lost all three. At City, forget replacing him, they don’t even have a backup plan for Rodri!

But it’s a different story with Spain. It might be hard to believe, but EURO 2024 is the first tournament where Rodri is being positioned in his preferred central role. Before that, he was only a backup for Sergio Busquets. At the 2022 World Cup, coach Luis Enrique even deployed him as a center-back. It’s no surprise that despite being called up 73 times, Rodri has only played 53 matches, with 40 of those as a starter.

One of coach De la Fuente’s first actions after his appointment was to recognize Rodri’s importance. He wanted to build the team’s play around his former U19 star. He also encouraged Rodri to step up and take on a leadership role within the team. De la Fuente’s faith has been richly rewarded. In title, Rodri is “just” the vice-captain. But in terms of real influence on the field, he is more than a captain.

“The most important quality of a leader is to remain calm even in the biggest storm,” Rodri said before the first match against Croatia. “Try to lead the whole team, guide teammates when they are lost. That’s what a leader must do.” Interestingly, that’s exactly what Rodri did when Spain faced their first “storm” of the season. In the match against Georgia, Spain surprisingly conceded early in the 18th minute. In the following minutes, Georgia continually had dangerous counter-attacks. Spain showed signs of panic. But everything changed after Le Normand and Marc Cucurella successfully intercepted a Georgian attack.

As Spain began to build up play, Rodri, instead of quickly pushing the ball forward, took a turn and looked his teammates in the eyes. Gesturing to calm down, he shouted, “Calm down! Calm down!” He held onto the ball and demanded his teammates get back into position. Only when everything was settled did he initiate another attack.