Rodri has been named in Spain's World Cup squad and is expected to be the undisputed defensive midfielder throughout the competition, the anchor around which Spain's system is built.
Analysis:
Rodri ended a season of careful management at Manchester City, making 21 Premier League appearances for one goal across 1,514 minutes after returning from a lengthy injury absence, demonstrating his quality even with a reduced workload at the Etihad. The former Ballon d'Or winner brings a unique combination of positional intelligence, ball-winning ability and distribution that no other player in world football can replicate, and his presence in the squad gives Spain a completely different structural foundation to any other team in the tournament. Rodri heads into the World Cup as arguably the most important player in the squad and the defensive cornerstone of a Spain side with ambitions of winning the trophy for the first time since 2010.
