Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson has picked a Manchester City player as the smartest footballer in the world.
As one of the best clubs in world football, Manchester City boast a star-studded squad featuring players at the top of their game.
And Elliot Anderson clearly recognises game, as per his choices when it came to creating the ‘perfect baller’.
Rodri looking on during Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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Anderson has received his maiden England call-up after his efforts for Forest and for the Young Lions over the past 12 months.
The England media team asked him to create his ideal player, based on both feet, speed, strength, skills and football IQ.
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Anderson picked Lionel Messi’s left foot, Harry Kane’s right foot, Anthony Elanga’s speed, Reece James’ strength and Lamine Yamal’s skills.
Finally, when it came to football IQ, Anderson went for Man City superstar Rodri.
Rodri is one of the best players in world football – as per his Ballon d’Or – and routinely gets huge plaudits.
For instance, Erling Haaland recently said Rodri is the City player likeliest to score when it matters most.
Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand admitted that Rodri is the modern-day player he would have most loved to have as a teammate.
The worrying situation Rodri finds himself in
Rodri has had a difficult 12 months, having to recover from an ACL injury before seeing his pre-season hampered by a groin issue.
He is now fully back in the fold, playing the full 90 minutes against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend.
However, Pep Guardiola would have surely liked to keep Rodri at the club and monitor his fitness over the international break.
This won’t be happening, because Rodri has been called up to the Spain squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkiye.
International breaks are always anxiety-inducing for club managers, but with Rodri only just back to fitness, Guardiola will be especially nervous over how Spain use him.