Cool, composed and able to chess-move in the tight, ever-shifting zones of the elite game’s midfield, Rodri is a serious contender for Manchester City’s player of the season.
In a stellar squad Erling Haaland may hog the headlines yet Rodri is Pep Guardiola’s ball-hogger supreme, a player the manager might privately admit is more vital to his pass-and-move machine than the 48-goal man.
Twenty-seven minutes into City’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich, Rodri illustrated why by showcasing another of his glittering attributes via a classy finish that was the perfect start to the perfectly executed 4-1 aggregate win.
Collecting from John Stones 25 yards out and on a tight angle from Yann Sommer’s goal, the Universidad de Castellón business administration graduate switched to his left foot and sent a fierce shot beyond Bayern’s keeper.