Micah Richards has said that Manchester City star Rodri is the best midfielder he has seen in a long time.
The Spaniard had a very successful 2023 in terms of the number of trophies he won with the Citizens including the Premier League and Champions League.
Now though, the 27-year-old has found himself on the end of some significant praise from one pundit and former City player.
Richards lauds Rodri after impressive 2023
Speaking in a recent edition of The Rest Is Football, Richards had this to say about Rodri when asked who he feels was the best midfielder of 2023.
He said: “Rodri by far the best defensive-midfielder I’ve seen since [Sergio] Busquets was on absolute fire. Scores in the Champions League final, when he doesn’t play for Man City they lose, what more does he have to do?
“His pass completion is about 90%, he always passes forward, he fills in for the centre-halves when they go galivanting, what more do you want from the lad?”
Looking back over last season, Rodri played more minutes (2911) than any other outfield City player in the Premier League, which highlights how important he is for the team.
Across that campaign, the midfielder played more progressive passes (260) than any other player in Pep Guardiola’s squad, which backs up Richards’ point about how proficient Rodri is when it comes to moving the ball up the pitch.
In City’s Champions League-winning journey, the Spain international earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.26/10 from WhoScored, making him the joint-third-highest-rated City player in the tournament.
This further showcases how impressive the midfielder was for his side in Europe and in their domestic efforts.
With all of that in mind, it’s hard to disagree with Richards about how impressive and influential Rodri was for the Citizens across 2023.
