Spain and Man City's Rodri enjoying the best of times

ROTTERDAM : Spain midfielder Rodri is going through the best period of his career as he prepares for a second final in the space of a week, looking to add national team success to taking the treble with Manchester City.

The commanding midfielder, who turns 27 next week, was the hero for City last Saturday as they won a first-ever Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul.

On Sunday he is expected to be key again, this time for Spain as they take on Croatia to decide the Nations League champions in Rotterdam.

Asked at a Saturday press conference whether these were the best times of his career, Rodri replied: "I think so, in terms of footballing maturity, winning trophies and having wonderful experiences, I would say yes, it is.”

"I want to extend that to the national team now. We beat Italy two days ago in a very tough game, and now we have another final to play. And we must understand the importance of taking these chances and winning a trophy for the first time in a long while. It would be the perfect way to end the season.”

Rodri has played over 60 games this season, more than 5,900 minutes, helping Manchester City to historic heights and competing for Spain at last year’s World Cup.

"I’ve tried to just take things calmly and naturally. When there are happy moments, you need to know how to accept the praise. But I'm more focused on the team overall, what matters is winning trophies as a team, that's what I've always wanted."

DEMANDING SEASON

"We have a big game tomorrow after a very long season for me which has been very demanding. I didn't know how I would be heading into the final stages of the season with the World Cup in the middle and making a big effort for my club.

"I'm now in a situation where