Since their takeover in 2008, Manchester City have had several midfielders at their disposal who have competed with the best of the best in world football.
David Silva is a name who instantly springs to mind, as throughout his 10-year spell at City, he was considered one of the finest central midfielders in Europe, alongside the likes of Andres Iniesta and Luka Modric.
The same can be said about Yaya Toure and Ilkay Gundogan, who were arguably classed as the best central midfielders on the globe, especially during their elite goalscoring seasons at City during the 2013/2014 and the 2020/2021 seasons respectively.
Kevin De Bruyne is considered the best midfielder in the world by many, such as Danny Murphy while Bernardo Silva is always mentioned amidst these conversations as well.
Declan Rice says Rodri is “arguably” the best defensive midfielder in the world
Another midfielder who is always mentioned in the discussions regarding the best number six in the world is Rodri, with none other than Declan Rice making a case for him being the gold standard.
“You look at the best six’s in the world, obviously, Man City, Rodri, arguably the best, how he plays, how he’s always central, how he always connects between the backline and the forward players, how he’s always in the middle of the pitch, you’re always trying to learn and be that main player”, he said [via HaytersTV].
In September last year as well, Declan Rice raved about Rodri, heralding him as “incredible.”
Rice making such a case is telling
Football is a game of opinions and naturally, some may prefer Rice over the Spaniard, who joined City in a deal worth £62.5 million in 2019.
However, it is telling that Declan Rice has gone out of his way to admit that Rodri is the best defensive midfielder in the world.
The former West Ham United talisman also broke down why the treble-winner could be the best in the world, focusing on how brilliantly he conducts proceedings on the pitch for Manchester City.
As Declan Rice admitted, he is constantly trying to learn and improve as a player and naturally, he must analyse Rodri’s game to assess where he can polish his game further.
The former Atletico Madrid anchor is a special player and despite being just 27, it seems like he has well and truly mastered what may be the toughest position to play in football.
