ESPN pundit Frank Leboeuf says Manchester City midfield Rodri is a ‘complete’ player now, and believes he can do more than Pep Guardiola could when he played for Barcelona.
City have one foot in the semi-final of the Champions League, after beating Bayern Munich 3-0 on Tuesday night.
It was a stunning performance from City against the German giants at the Etihad Stadium.
Bayern were not particularly bad. But City were clinical, and also really solid at the back. The three central defenders, John Stones in his hybrid role and goalkeeper Ederson have all come in for high praise since the game.
The man who got the ball rolling for City on Tuesday was Rodri.
The Spaniard picked the ball up and curled in a sublime effort from distance with his left foot.
It was a stunning goal, but the rest of Rodri’s performance was exceptional.
He tends to dominate most games he plays these days. And there is no doubt the man is the best in the world in his position.
Today, ESPN UK uploaded a video on their YouTube channel and their pundits raved about Rodri’s influence for City.
Former World Cup winner Leboeuf has been seriously impressed with him, and believes he actually offers more than Guardiola did for Barca during his playing days.
He said: “The goal that he scored… even some lefties wouldn’t have curved that ball as nicely, and he’s right-footed. The guy is complete. He is everything you need when you have a player in that position.
“He can score goals on top of what Guardiola was capable of doing when he was playing for Barcelona.”
A big claim from Frank Leboeuf that Rodri can do more than Pep Guardiola the player
This is some high praise indeed from Leboeuf for City maestro Rodri.
Guardiola is obviously a world-class manager. But he was also a world-class holding midfielder too.
He was a major part of the Barcelona team that won four straight league titles between 1991 and 1994. He was absolutely unbelievable at playmaking from deep.
But Leboeuf might be right about Rodri.
The 26-year-old is an incredible playmaker, line-breaker and brute all rolled into one. And he can score spectacular goals, which almost feels a bit unfair on other teams.
City, without doubt, are incredibly lucky to have him.
