Spain boss Luis de La Fuente is lucky to have world-class midfielders such as Rodri and Pedri to choose from his embarrassment of riches.
Pedri holds Rodri in high esteem as he believes the 28-year-old is the best number six in the world.
The Manchester City maestro might feel similarly about the Barcelona orchestrator, who is in the form of his life this season.
Pedri is a truly phenomenal midfielder and one who would have ran riot had Manchester City had the chance to pair him alongside Rodri earlier in his career.
Pedri says he loves playing with Rodri because he “controls” games
However, Barcelona have no reason to let Pedri go and furthermore, they would be making a blunder by strengthening City as a pairing of him and Rodri would likely dominate European football for years to come.
Ahead of the Catalan giants’ upcoming clash against Inter Milan, Pedri has explained that watching Rodri win the Ballon d’Or has instilled the belief in him that a controller like him could as well while revealing why he enjoys playing him for Spain.
Speaking to the Champions League’s official website, Pedri said: “Since Rodri won it, it’s shown that a player who runs the midfield and dictates the tempo and the rhythm of the game can win a Ballon d’Or.”
“I was really pleased he won it because aside from the season he had, I really enjoy playing with him when I’m with the national team. He’s a player who controls the game really well, wins the ball back, gets forward, scores goals, he’s everywhere on the pitch.”
“It’s always been a dream of mine to lift the Ballon d’Or. But right now, there’s a month to go, and the focus is on the team – on winning the three trophies, which is what really matters and once that month’s over, we’ll see if we can start talking about things like that.”
How Rodri changed Pedri’s mind about winning the Ballon d’Or
Pedri referred to Rodri as an “exception” and discounted his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or in April due to not being a forward who grabs headlines by registering goals and assists consistently.
“The Ballon d’Or is far from my mind. Unless you’re an exception like Rodri, it’s usually won by players with great goal stats. I’d rather see Lamine Yamal or Raphinha win it, they have the numbers and make a difference. I’m happy if we win titles.”
But it seems like Rodri’s historic win has inspired Pedri to try and win the Ballon d’Or — which is another reason why the Manchester City linchpin’s victory was such a key moment for underappreciated players like the latter.
