Rodri was named best player at the World Cup
Rodri was named best player at the World Cup
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For the second time in three years, Rodri will parade one of football's biggest trophies in Madrid as the best footballer on the planet. Spain have backed up their success at the European Championship on an even bigger stage, and Rodri has been at the heart of both triumphs with an individual award from both tournaments to add to his collection.
The first rise to the top was incredible. Building on his key role for Manchester City in winning back-to-back Premier League titles and the Treble with the winning goal in the Champions League final, Rodri had built a record-breaking run of 74 games unbeaten between February 2023 and May 2024 to steer the Blues to the historic achievement of four league titles in a row.
Despite the cries and moans that would come from Madrid a few months later, the Ballon d'Or was deservedly his. Two years on, there are even calls for him to claim the prize for a second time and there is arguably a decent shout for it after what Rodri has been through.